One of my photographs is include in the permanent exhibition at this mini-museum.

 

The Diving Bell is the first project in Dublin Port’s plan to create a ‘distributed museum’ of attractions across the Dublin docklands and into Dublin Port to preserve the port’s industrial heritage and history.

 

The Diving Bell was designed by the port engineer Bindon Blood Stoney (1828 to 1907) and built by Grendon and Co., Drogheda. It was delivered to the Port in 1866, entered service in 1871 and was used in the building of the Port’s quay walls until 1958. Stoney was a prodigious engineer and among his achievements were the building of the Boyne Viaduct in Drogheda, the construction of O’Connell Bridge and the building of many of the Port’s quay walls including Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and North Wall Quay Extension.

 

The Diving Bell was used in the building of the Port’s quay walls from the Victorian era right up until almost the 1960s. It was a ground-breaking piece of engineering innovation in its day.

The alpaca (Lama pacos) is a species of South American camelid mammal. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas. The two animals are closely related and can successfully crossbreed. Both species are believed to have been domesticated from their wild relatives, the vicuña and guanaco. There are two breeds of alpaca: the Suri alpaca and the Huacaya alpaca.

 

Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Southern Peru, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile at an altitude of 3,500 to 5,000 metres (11,000 to 16,000 feet) above sea level. Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas, and unlike llamas, they were not bred to be working animals, but were bred specifically for their fiber. Alpaca fiber is used for making knitted and woven items, similar to sheep's wool. These items include blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, a wide variety of textiles, and ponchos, in South America, as well as sweaters, socks, coats, and bedding in other parts of the world. The fiber comes in more than 52 natural colors as classified in Peru, 12 as classified in Australia, and 16 as classified in the United States.

 

Alpacas communicate through body language. The most common is spitting to show dominance when they are in distress, fearful, or feel agitated. Male alpacas are more aggressive than females, and tend to establish dominance within their herd group. In some cases, alpha males will immobilize the head and neck of a weaker or challenging male in order to show their strength and dominance.

 

In the textile industry, "alpaca" primarily refers to the hair of Peruvian alpacas, but more broadly it refers to a style of fabric originally made from alpaca hair, such as mohair, Icelandic sheep wool, or even high-quality wool from other breeds of sheep. In trade, distinctions are made between alpacas and the several styles of mohair and luster.

 

An adult alpaca generally is between 81 and 99 centimetres (32 and 39 inches) in height at the shoulders (withers). They usually weigh between 48 and 90 kilograms (106 and 198 pounds). Raised in the same conditions, the difference in weight can be small with males weighting around 22.3 kilograms (49 lb 3 oz) and females 21.3 kilograms (46 lb 15 oz).

 

Background

 

The relationship between alpacas and vicuñas was disputed for many years. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the four South American lamoid species were assigned scientific names. At that time, the alpaca was assumed to be descended from the llama, ignoring similarities in size, fleece and dentition between the alpaca and the vicuña. Classification was complicated by the fact that all four species of South American camelid can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. The advent of DNA technology made a more accurate classification possible.

 

In 2001, the alpaca genus classification changed from Lama pacos to Vicugna pacos, following the presentation of a paper on work by Miranda Kadwell et al. on alpaca DNA to the Royal Society showing the alpaca is descended from the vicuña, not the guanaco.

 

Origin and domestication

Alpacas were domesticated thousands of years ago. The Moche people of Northern Peru often used alpaca images in their art. There are no known wild alpacas, and its closest living relative, the vicuña (also native to South America), is the wild ancestor of the alpaca.

 

The family Camelidae first appeared in Americas 40–45 million years ago, during the Eocene period, from the common ancestor, Protylopus. The descendants divided into Camelini and Lamini tribes, taking different migratory patterns to Asia and South America, respectively. Although the camelids became extinct in North America around 3 million years ago, it flourished in the South with the species we see today. It was not until 2–5 million years ago, during the Pliocene, that the genus Hemiauchenia of the tribe Lamini split into Palaeolama and Lama; the latter would then split again into Lama and Vicugna upon migrating down to South America.

 

Remains of vicuña and guanaco dating around 12,000 years have been found throughout Peru. Their domesticated counterparts, the llama and alpaca, have been found mummified in the Moquegua valley, in the south of Peru, dating back 900 to 1000 years. Mummies found in this region show two breeds of alpacas. More precise analysis of bone and teeth of these mummies has demonstrated that alpacas were domesticated from the Vicugna vicugna. Other research, considering the behavioral and morphological characteristics of alpacas and their wild counterparts, seems to indicate that alpacas could find their origins in Lama guanicoe as well as Vicugna vicugna, or even a hybrid of both.

 

Genetic analysis shows a different picture of the origins of the alpaca. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA shows that most alpacas have guanaco mtDNA, and many also have vicuña mtDNA. But microsatellite data shows that alpaca DNA is much more similar to vicuña DNA than to guanaco DNA. This suggests that alpacas are descendants of the Vicugna vicugna, not of the Lama guanicoe. The discrepancy with mtDNA seems to be a result of the fact that mtDNA is only transmitted by the mother, and recent husbandry practices have caused hybridization between llamas (which primarily carry guanaco DNA) and alpacas. To the extent that many of today's domestic alpacas are the result of male alpacas bred to female llamas, this would explain the mtDNA consistent with guanacos. This situation has led to attempts to reclassify the alpaca as Vicugna pacos.

 

Breeds

The alpaca comes in two breeds, Suri and Huacaya, based on their fibers rather than scientific or European classifications.

(Museum of Osteology)

Huacaya alpacas are the most commonly found, constituting about 90% of the population. The Huacaya alpaca is thought to have originated in post-colonial Peru. This is due to their thicker fleece which makes them more suited to survive in the higher altitudes of the Andes after being pushed into the highlands of Peru with the arrival of the Spanish.

 

Suri alpacas represent a smaller portion of the total alpaca population, around 10%. They are thought to have been more prevalent in pre-Columbian Peru since they could be kept at a lower altitude where a thicker fleece was not needed for harsh weather conditions.

 

Behavior

 

Alpacas are social herd animals that live in family groups, consisting of a territorial alpha male, females, and their young ones. Alpacas warn the herd about intruders by making sharp, noisy inhalations that sound like a high-pitched bray. The herd may attack smaller predators with their front feet and can spit and kick. Their aggression towards members of the canid family (coyotes, foxes, dogs etc.) is exploited when alpacas are used as guard llamas for guarding sheep.

 

Alpacas can sometimes be aggressive, but they can also be very gentle, intelligent, and extremely observant. For the most part, alpacas are very quiet, but male alpacas are more energetic when they get involved in fighting with other alpacas. When they prey, they are cautious but also nervous when they feel any type of threat. They can feel threatened when a person or another alpaca comes up from behind them.

 

Alpacas set their own boundaries of "personal space" within their families and groups.They make a hierarchy in some sense, and each alpaca is aware of the dominant animals in each group. Body language is the key to their communication. It helps to maintain their order. One example of their body communication includes a pose named broadside, where their ears are pulled back and they stand sideways. This pose is used when male alpacas are defending their territory.

 

When they are young, they tend to follow larger objects and to sit near or under them. An example of this is a baby alpaca with its mother. This can also apply when an alpaca passes by an older alpaca.

 

Training

Alpacas are generally very trainable and usually respond to reward, most commonly in the form of food. They can usually be petted without getting agitated, especially if one avoids petting the head or neck. Alpacas are usually quite easy to herd, even in large groups. However, during herding, it is recommended for the handler to approach the animals slowly and quietly, as failing to do so can result in danger for both the animals and the handler.

 

Alpacas and llamas have started showing up in U.S. nursing homes and hospitals as trained, certified therapy animals. The Mayo Clinic says animal-assisted therapy can reduce pain, depression, anxiety, and fatigue. This type of animal therapy is growing in popularity, and there are several organizations throughout the United States that participate.

 

Spitting

Not all alpacas spit, but all are capable of doing so. "Spit" is somewhat euphemistic; occasionally the projectile contains only air and a little saliva, although alpacas commonly bring up acidic stomach contents (generally a green, grassy mix) and project it onto their chosen targets. Spitting is mostly reserved for other alpacas, but an alpaca will also occasionally spit at a human.

 

Spitting can result in what is called "sour mouth". Sour mouth is characterized by "a loose-hanging lower lip and a gaping mouth."

 

Alpacas can spit for several reasons. A female alpaca spits when she is not interested in a male alpaca, typically when she thinks that she is already impregnated. Both sexes of alpaca keep others away from their food, or anything they have their eyes on. Most give a slight warning before spitting by blowing air out and raising their heads, giving their ears a "pinned" appearance.

 

Alpacas can spit up to ten feet if they need to. For example, if another animal does not back off, the alpaca will throw up its stomach contents, resulting in a lot of spit.

 

Some signs of stress which can lead to their spitting habits include: humming, a wrinkle under their eye, drooling, rapid breathing, and stomping their feet. When alpacas show any sign of interest or alertness, they tend to sniff their surroundings, watch closely, or stand quietly in place and stare.

 

When it comes to reproduction, they spit because it is a response triggered by the progesterone levels being increased, which is associated with ovulation.

 

Hygiene

Alpacas use a communal dung pile, where they do not graze. This behaviour tends to limit the spread of internal parasites. Generally, males have much tidier, and fewer dung piles than females, which tend to stand in a line and all go at once. One female approaches the dung pile and begins to urinate and/or defecate, and the rest of the herd often follows. Alpaca waste is collected and used as garden fertilizer or even natural fertilizer.

 

Because of their preference for using a dung pile for excreting bodily waste, some alpacas have been successfully house-trained.

 

Alpacas develop dental hygiene problems which affect their eating and behavior. Warning signs include protracted chewing while eating, or food spilling out of their mouths. Poor body condition and sunken cheeks are also telltales of dental problems.

 

Alpacas make a variety of sounds:

 

Humming: When alpacas are born, the mother and baby hum constantly. They also hum as a sign of distress, especially when they are separated from their herd. Alpacas may also hum when curious, happy, worried or cautious.

Snorting: Alpacas snort when another alpaca is invading its space.

Grumbling: Alpacas grumble to warn each other. For example, when one is invading another's personal space, it sounds like gurgling.

Clucking: Similar to a hen's cluck, alpacas cluck when a mother is concerned for her cria. Male alpacas cluck to signal friendly behavior.

Screaming: Their screams are extremely deafening and loud. They will scream when they are not handled correctly or when they are being attacked by a potential enemy.

Screeching: A bird-like cry, presumably intended to terrify the opponent. This sound is typically used by male alpacas when they are in a fight over dominance. When a female screeches, it is more of a growl when she is angry.

 

Reproduction

Females are induced ovulators; meaning the act of mating and the presence of semen causes them to ovulate. Females usually conceive after just one breeding, but occasionally do have trouble conceiving. Artificial insemination is technically difficult, expensive and not common, but it can be accomplished. Embryo transfer is more widespread.

 

A male is usually ready to mate for the first time between two and three years of age. It is not advisable to allow a young female to be bred until she is mature and has reached two-thirds of her mature weight. Over-breeding a young female before conception is possibly a common cause of uterine infections. As the age of maturation varies greatly between individuals, it is usually recommended that novice breeders wait until females are 18 months of age or older before initiating breeding.

 

Alpacas can breed at any time throughout the year but it is more difficult to breed in the winter. Most breed during autumn or late spring. The most popular way to have alpacas mate is pen mating. Pen mating is when they move both the female and the desired male into a pen. Another way is paddock mating where one male alpaca is let loose in the paddock with several female alpacas.

 

The gestation period is, on average, 11.5 months, and usually results in a single offspring, or cria. Twins are rare, occurring about once per 1000 deliveries. Cria are generally between 15 and 19 pounds, and are standing 30 to 90 minutes after birth. After a female gives birth, she is generally receptive to breeding again after about two weeks. Crias may be weaned through human intervention at about six months old and 60 pounds, but many breeders prefer to allow the female to decide when to wean her offspring; they can be weaned earlier or later depending on their size and emotional maturity.

 

The average lifespan of an alpaca is between 15 and 20 years, and the longest-lived alpaca on record is 27 years.

  

Pests and diseases

Cattle tuberculosis can also infect alpacas: Mycobacterium bovis also causes TB in this species worldwide. Krajewska‐Wędzina et al., 2020 detect M. bovis in individuals traded from the United Kingdom to Poland. To accomplish this they develop a seroassay which correctly identifies positive subjects which are false negative for a common skin test. Krajewska‐Wędzina et al. also find that alpacas are unusual in mounting a competent early-infection immune response. Bernitz et al., 2021 believe this to generalise to all camelids.

 

Habitat and lifestyle

Alpacas can be found throughout most of South America. They typically live in temperate conditions in the mountains with high altitudes.

 

They are easy to care for since they are not limited to a specific type of environment. Animals such as flamingos, condors, spectacled bears, mountain lions, coyotes, llamas, and sheep live near alpacas when they are in their natural habitat.

 

Population

Alpacas are native to Peru, but can be found throughout the globe in captivity. Peru currently has the largest alpaca population, with over half the world's animals. The population declined drastically after the Spanish Conquistadors invaded the Andes mountains in 1532, after which 98% of the animals were destroyed. The Spanish also brought with them diseases that were fatal to alpacas.

 

European conquest forced the animals to move higher into the mountains, which remained there permanently. Although alpacas had almost been wiped out completely, they were rediscovered sometime during the 19th century by Europeans. After finding uses for them, the animals became important to societies during the industrial revolution.

 

In popular culture

Nuzzle and Scratch was a British children's television programme featuring two fictional alpacas that was first broadcast between 2008 and 2011.

 

Interest in alpacas grew as a result of Depp v. Heard, the 2022 trial in which Johnny Depp sued Amber Heard for defamation in Virginia after Heard wrote an op-ed saying she was a public victim of domestic violence. Depp testified, under oath, that he would not make another Pirates of the Caribbean film for "300 million dollars and a million alpacas".

 

Diet

 

Alpacas chew their food which ends up being mixed with their cud and saliva and then they swallow it. Alpacas usually eat 1.5% of their body weight daily for normal growth. They mainly need pasture grass, hay, or silage but some may also need supplemental energy and protein foods and they will also normally try to chew on almost anything (e.g. empty bottle). Most alpaca ranchers rotate their feeding grounds so the grass can regrow and fecal parasites may die before reusing the area. Pasture grass is a great source of protein. When seasons change, the grass loses or gains more protein. For example, in the spring, the pasture grass has about 20% protein while in the summer, it only has 6%. They need more energy supplements in the winter to produce body heat and warmth. They get their fiber from hay or from long stems which provides them with vitamin E. Green grass contains vitamin A and E.

 

Alpacas can eat natural unfertilized grass; however, ranchers can also supplement grass with low-protein grass hay. To provide selenium and other necessary vitamins, ranchers will feed their domestic alpacas a daily dose of grain to provide additional nutrients that are not fully obtained from their primary diet. Alpacas may obtain the necessary vitamins in their native grazing ranges.

 

Digestion

Alpacas, like other camelids, have a three-chambered stomach; combined with chewing cud, this three-chambered system allows maximum extraction of nutrients from low-quality forages. Alpacas are not ruminants, pseudo-ruminants, or modified ruminants, as there are many differences between the anatomy and physiology of a camelid and a ruminant stomach.

 

Alpacas will chew their food in a figure eight motion, swallow the food, and then pass it into one of the stomach's chambers. The first and second chambers (called C1 and C2) are anaerobic fermentation chambers where the fermentation process begins. The alpaca will further absorb nutrients and water in the first part of the third chamber. The end of the third chamber (called C3) is where the stomach secretes acids to digest food and is the likely place where an alpaca will have ulcers if stressed.

 

Poisonous plants

Many plants are poisonous to the alpaca, including the bracken fern, Madagascar ragwort, oleander, and some azaleas. In common with similar livestock, others include acorns, African rue, agave, amaryllis, autumn crocus, bear grass, broom snakeweed, buckwheat, ragweed, buttercups, calla lily, orange tree foliage, carnations, castor beans, and many others.

 

Fiber

Main article: Alpaca fiber

Alpacas are typically sheared once per year in the spring. Each shearing produces approximately 2.3 to 4.5 kilograms (5 to 10 pounds) of fiber per alpaca. An adult alpaca might produce 1.4 to 2.6 kilograms (50 to 90 ounces) of first-quality fiber as well as 1.4 to 2.8 kilograms (50 to 100 ounces) of second- and third-quality fiber. The quality of alpaca fiber is determined by how crimpy it is. Typically, the greater the number of small folds in the fiber, the greater the quality.

 

Prices

Alpacas were the subject of a speculative bubble between their introduction to North America in 1984 and the early 21st century. The price for American alpacas ranged from US$50 for a castrated male (gelding) to US$675,000 for the highest in the world, depending on breeding history, sex, and color. In 2006, researchers warned that the higher prices sought for alpaca breeding stock were largely speculative and not supported by market fundamentals, given the low inherent returns per head from the main end product, alpaca fiber, and prices into the $100s per head rather than $10,000s would be required for a commercially viable fiber production herd.

 

Marketed as "the investment you can hug" in television commercials by the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, the market for alpacas was almost entirely dependent on breeding and selling animals to new buyers, a classic sign of speculative bubbles in livestock. The bubble burst in 2007, with the price of alpaca breeding stock dropping by thousands of dollars each year thereafter. Many farmers found themselves unable to sell animals for any price, or even give them away.

 

It is possible to raise up to 25 alpacas per hectare (10/acre), as they have a designated area for waste products and keep their eating area away from their waste area. However, this ratio differs from country to country and is highly dependent on the quality of pasture available (in many desert locations it is generally only possible to run one to three animals per acre due to lack of suitable vegetation). Fiber quality is the primary variant in the price achieved for alpaca wool; in Australia, it is common to classify the fiber by the thickness of the individual hairs and by the amount of vegetable matter contained in the supplied shearings.

 

Livestock

 

Alpacas need to eat 1–2% of their body weight per day, so about two 27 kg (60 lb) bales of grass hay per month per animal. When formulating a proper diet for alpacas, water and hay analysis should be performed to determine the proper vitamin and mineral supplementation program. Two options are to provide free choice salt/mineral powder or feed a specially formulated ration. Indigenous to the highest regions of the Andes, this harsh environment has created an extremely hardy animal, so only minimal housing and predator fencing are needed. The alpacas' three-chambered stomachs allow for extremely efficient digestion. There are no viable seeds in the manure, because alpacas prefer to only eat tender plant leaves, and will not consume thick plant stems; therefore, alpaca manure does not need composting to enrich pastures or ornamental landscaping. Nail and teeth trimming are needed every six to twelve months, along with annual shearing.

 

Similar to ruminants, such as cattle and sheep, alpacas have only lower teeth at the front of their mouths; therefore, they do not pull the grass up by the roots. Rotating pastures is still important, though, as alpacas have a tendency to regraze an area repeatedly. Alpacas are fiber-producing animals; they do not need to be slaughtered to reap their product, and their fiber is a renewable resource that grows yearly.

 

Cultural presence

 

Alpacas are closely tied to cultural practices for Andeans people. Prior to colonization, the image of the alpaca was used in rituals and in their religious practices. Since the people in the region depended heavily on these animals for their sustenance, the alpaca was seen as a gift from Pachamama. Alpacas were used for their meat, fibers for clothing, and art, and their images in the form of conopas.

 

Conopas take their appearance from the Suri alpacas, with long locks flanking their sides and bangs covering the eyes, and a depression on the back. This depression is used in ritual practices, usually filled with coca leaves and fat from alpacas and lamas, to bring fertility and luck. While their use was prevalent before colonization, the attempts to convert the Andean people to Catholicism led to the acquisition of more than 3,400 conopas in Lima alone.

 

The origin of alpacas is depicted in legend; the legend states they came to be in the world after a goddess fell in love with a man. The goddess' father only allowed her to be with her lover if he cared for her herd of alpacas. On top of caring for the herd, he was to always carry a small animal for his entire life. As the goddess came into our world, the alpacas followed her. Everything was fine until the man set the small animal down, and the goddess fled back to her home. On her way back home, the man attempted to stop her and her herd from fleeing. While he was not able to stop her from returning, he was able to stop a few alpacas from returning. These alpacas who did not make it back are said to be seen today in the swampy lands in the Andes waiting for the end of the world, so they may return to their goddess.

Thank you to Fraulein Simoneaux for leading a fun and informative discussion on women in 1929 and how to incorporate our knowledge of the period into our rp. Here's a copy of the discussion for those of you who couldn't make it. My apologies for not cleaning up the typos! ~ Zoe

_____

 

Zoe Foodiboo: For those of you just coming in, this is Fraulein Teruumi Simoneaux.

Zoe Foodiboo: Alf!

Zoe Foodiboo: oops

Karlin Lutrova: what an OUT rage

Zoe Foodiboo: Anyway, she's our newest librarian/archivist. Please welcome her.

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): guten abend

Karlin Lutrova: /me giggle soflty " no matter, I make my own coffee at home "

Adele Kling: Welcome!

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): /me claps

Alf Korhonen: Guten Tag Alle!

Adele Kling: Hallo, Rosemary

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): /me claps

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): Guten tag Alf

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Danke! I'm very excited!

Jani (Janire Coba): guten tag *smiles

Lori Miles (Lorelai Winslet): Very nice to meet you, Frl. Simoneaux

Zoe Foodiboo: We had a wonderful discussion in the library last weekend and we were so excited about it, we thought we’d expand it to include all of you.

webspelunker Ghostraven: Hello Alf!

Zoe Foodiboo: Hallo Rose!

Zoe Foodiboo: Hallo Alf!

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): Hallo Alf, Nice to see you

Karlin Lutrova: /me notices the film directoer and trys to look her best

Zoe Foodiboo: Anyway, I'll be quiet and let Frl Teruumi get the ball rolling.

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): RoseMary! Hello dear

Zoe Foodiboo: Teruumi?

Alf Korhonen: Crowded here!

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Yes, indeed. Crowded :))

Zoe Foodiboo: whispers: Does everyone have a place to sit?

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): /me clears her throat and begins composing a thought "Danke Zoe"

Alf Korhonen: May I join your table, Karlin?

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): There's one seat next to me.

Zoe Foodiboo: Someone can havve my chair...I can rez my own.

Karlin Lutrova: would be a pleasure

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): there are seats available

Alf Korhonen: Danke

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Oh no, two seats.

Zoe Foodiboo: oh okay

Karlin Lutrova: gerne Mein Herr

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): As Fraulein Zoe mentioned we had a lovely chat about women last week

Alf Korhonen: I like women too!

Zoe Foodiboo: /me giggles, "I bet you do..."

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): /me chuckles

Adele Kling: haha

Karlin Lutrova: /me coughs a giggle

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): I noticed that many people not even involved with Berlin or SL in general had a very one sided view of what women were like during the 20s

Zoe Foodiboo: whispers: Hallo Fraulein, have a seat

Greta Fuchsin (GretaFuchsin Resident): /me whispers Hello Whispy

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): I think we all can agree that most likely the flapper is a reaction to WWI. and the outdated society model

Karlin Lutrova: /me nods

whispy (whispy Darkstone): hello my dear

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): /me nods

whispy (whispy Darkstone): /me looks round smiling at the people around her

Adele Kling: Yes

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): And women cut their hair, started smoking, the corset was dumped. Women started to gain a voice in the society

Jani (Janire Coba): /me nods

Zoe Foodiboo: /me smiles and smokes

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): and they had jobs, so they had 'economic power', no?

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Exactly

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): indeed

Karlin Lutrova: well I knew I was smokin' but had no idea it was public knowledge

Karlin Lutrova: my late husband thought so anyway ........

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): and then I thought we roleplay women in 1929. When we look at our RL selves we can notice a change. We are influenced by all kinds of different global and private events and happenings and it changes us as people

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): But we in SL are stuck in a way, especially here in Berlin because we replay the events of 1929 but none of us have lived during that time so we can only trust our imagination

Adele Kling: and history

Zoe Foodiboo: imagination but also rooted in our research...

Jani (Janire Coba): true

Zoe Foodiboo: yes, Adele

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): yes.

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): yes, of course

Karlin Lutrova: /me nods

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): well I guess reading about the time gives us a better idea to know what to imagine...

Adele Kling: and Jo, lol

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Jo of course!

Zoe Foodiboo: Reading....and looking at photos

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): hahaha Addie

Greta Fuchsin (GretaFuchsin Resident): And OUR interpretation of how people felt.

Jani (Janire Coba): yes

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): and also movies

Zoe Foodiboo: Yes, how can we forget Jo. Our high priestess of the 20s

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): /me nods

whispy (whispy Darkstone): i agree i think fact fiction film all help understand and enhance rp

Karlin Lutrova: yes, and stories from relatives

Zoe Foodiboo: oh yes, good point Karlin

Karlin Lutrova: that were there I mean

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): unfortunately I do not have relatives that old… :(

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): And on that note I thought it would be great for us to meet and discuss how can we enhance our roleplay

Karlin Lutrova: yeah, gives me a sense of some reality to it

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): /me nods

Jani (Janire Coba): yes, that'd be great for me since i'm new to Berlín

Karlin Lutrova: ( oh Mutti and Vati and Ottoa are all gone )

Zoe Foodiboo: Great for me, too. I often forget myself and chatter OOC stuff at inappropriate times.

Karlin Lutrova: me also

Mab Ashdene: Are there more women in Berlin than men?

Zoe Foodiboo: Yes, still.

Karlin Lutrova: rp Berlin right?

Mab Ashdene: That makes it hard.

Zoe Foodiboo: But more men seem to stay.

Mab Ashdene: Yes

webspelunker Ghostraven: Maybe because of that little misunderstanding...

webspelunker Ghostraven: The Great War.

whispy (whispy Darkstone): from my experience there are always more female avs than male

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): Have you seen Boardwalk, the series? I think that show is well in terms of research regarding our time

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): For example, I did some reading here and there and I found information that by 1928 there was a new kind of flapper evolved. She danced, smoked, drove cars but she was a lot tamer from the first flappers

Karlin Lutrova: yes, Second Life™ is a women's shopping paradise

Zoe Foodiboo: Boardwalk Empire? Yes, I love it as a resource. Well, and it's entertaining.

Mab Ashdene: There are no men playing the roles of fathers or husbands.

Adele Kling: Thats interesting.

Karlin Lutrova: simply put

Mab Ashdene: Or only a few.

Adele Kling: Its early 20s, BE

webspelunker Ghostraven: Maybe because they're all dead?

Zoe Foodiboo: Tamer in what ways, Teruummi?

Jani (Janire Coba): oh, i got addicted to 20s since i watched Boardwalk Empire *laughs

whispy (whispy Darkstone): I think a sharing of resources for rp ers is always a good idea

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): I think Web is saying a good point.

Karlin Lutrova: Mutti said thee were very few men in those years anyway too

Mab Ashdene: Without the sense of having a man around or a mother around who cares what we do it is easy to go wild an play a flapper.

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): They didn't participate in petting parties, wore a lot less makeup

webspelunker Ghostraven: TY

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Some didn't even smoke or drink alcohol

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Recently I'd found out that learning about 1910s is very important to understand 1920s Berlin.

Adele Kling: Petting parties! Haven't been invited to one in years!

webspelunker Ghostraven: They sound like nuns!

Zoe Foodiboo: How so, Herr Gustav?

Greta Fuchsin (GretaFuchsin Resident): They were becoming more respectable and "professional"

Karlin Lutrova: good to point out Gustav

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): I guess 1920s Berlin or German, is quite similar to 1960s.

Zoe Foodiboo: Now that's an interesting analogy...

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Lots of men dead or gone. And hunger gave women to position to work in society.

whispy (whispy Darkstone): and politics

webspelunker Ghostraven: That's a good point that others have made too...

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Work in a society as a matter of course.

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Amazingly watching the movie, "Berlin Symphony"

Mab Ashdene: That is interesting.

webspelunker Ghostraven: Otto Friedrich wrote of that.

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): I think there is a lack of older women also, and we have to consider that not all the females were flappers. That was actually a minority, as I understand

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): We all notice how many women are working in office.

Zoe Foodiboo: Good point, Tequila.

Mab Ashdene: When the pimp left the brothel, the women took over the running of the place.

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): And commuting. That's veyr interesting.

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Very good point indeed

Greta Fuchsin (GretaFuchsin Resident): Yes that is a great movie

Adele Kling: Yes, Flappers were young

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): YEs, Tequila.

Greta Fuchsin (GretaFuchsin Resident): Has anyone watched the 13 hour "berlin Alexanderplatz"

Zoe Foodiboo: But there's a whole spectrum of women not represented in our Berlin.

Karlin Lutrova: very true , flappers where thought of as dirty by some of the echelon of high society

Greta Fuchsin (GretaFuchsin Resident): Plaenty or rp material there

Adele Kling: I love Berlin Alexanderplatz, until the end.

webspelunker Ghostraven: Who, Zoe?

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): And not all young females were flappers...it was only the daring, bold, young females

Karlin Lutrova: /me nods

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Yes!

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): sure, i've never viewed my character as a flapper

Greta Fuchsin (GretaFuchsin Resident): Who Zoe?

Zoe Foodiboo: Older women...yes, as Tequila said, women who weren't as bold as to become a Flapper

Adele Kling: Nor mine.

Greta Fuchsin (GretaFuchsin Resident): /me looks puzzled and curious

Jani (Janire Coba): i'd appreciate if someone knew about some films of Berlin in the 20s ((sorry for interrupting))

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): or middleaged women

Alf Korhonen: Der Letzte Mann I think

Adele Kling: About Berlin in the 20s, or shot in the 20s?

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): apart from frau Yardley, there aren't any middleaged women in Berlin as far as i can remember

Jani (Janire Coba): both would be useful to me

Mab Ashdene: There was Babette Darkfold.

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Yes, that's true

Zoe Foodiboo: No. We had a grandma type when Bubbe was here but she's long gone.

Zoe Foodiboo: Well, and Vera's mom. But she rarely makes an appearance as well.

Greta Fuchsin (GretaFuchsin Resident): Look up early Fritz Lang movies Janire to start with

Angello Valerian: the great gastby, chanel and stravinsky, therese...

Adele Kling: I can get you a list of films, Jani.

whispy (whispy Darkstone): i came to berlin as a young modern woman, but now have bought this alt along, as a much much older woman, out of interest to how folk react, plus as a very political, perhaps even not as sweet old lady as she looks

Jani (Janire Coba): thanks greta :)

Zoe Foodiboo: Aside from it being difficult to find older women skins and shapes, I'm not sure why I continue to be a young woman as a character in Berlin.

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): I think another thing we don't have is a clear social structure

Zoe Foodiboo: Hi Claire

ClaireDeAir: hiya

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): That's very interesting, Whispy.

Angello Valerian: Guten Abend

Karlin Lutrova: oh! i just saw that 13 hour film was a television series

ClaireDeAir: How are you?

Adele Kling: Hallo Claire

ClaireDeAir: hiya

webspelunker Ghostraven: Hello Claire!

webspelunker Ghostraven: Doing fine, how're you?

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): the "social structure" such as it is, is very much based on where we live

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): Oh, I think there is also a huge woman, I think she is named Lolle...?

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): and it is not clear

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): she's not huge, just curvy

ClaireDeAir: wow I have never seen this many people in here before hehehe

whispy (whispy Darkstone): could the list of films go in a group notice as i would be interested please

Angello Valerian: great idea, would be a great help

Adele Kling: Ok, I can do that whispy. Sometime this week : )

Zoe Foodiboo: I love Lolle's look.

Zoe Foodiboo: and her apartment is lovely. very realistic.

Jani (Janire Coba): oh yes, thanks for the films

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): yes it is

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): how old is Lolle supposed to be?

whispy (whispy Darkstone): i have looked for good older skins and shapes for ages now i have managed to get a look i want slightly older than i ideally wanted, but i am looking forward to developing this look

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): i've always thought around late 20s early 30s

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): but i don't know

Zoe Foodiboo: I'm not sure. She's a mother so I would imagine not that old.

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): OK

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Finding a good "aged" skin is bit tough in SL....

Karlin Lutrova: oh, one good shop for older type skins is MB Skins

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): it is

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): easier for men actually

Mab Ashdene: Maybe we should all have children and age.

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Oh really? I must checked it. Thanks Karlin :)

Karlin Lutrova: femme older skins I should add

Karlin Lutrova: yes, well made age skins seem few and far between

Zoe Foodiboo: I have a question. In what ways do you behave different here in Berlin as opposed to other places in SL, as a nod to historical accuracy. Aside from your appearance, I mean?

Karlin Lutrova: most looks like they ahve mud plastered faice makes lol

ClaireDeAir: lol

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): Well, modesty, language...

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): i play more roles here

Adele Kling: Role-playing here is very relaxed. I try to use jargon (American) from the time.

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): i even call them cartoon characters

Jani (Janire Coba): well, i used to rp in versailles, and language of course was different, and protocole was super important there

Karlin Lutrova: well, that was the acccepted values

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): I come here roleplay so as I said when we spoke last week, I try to approach it as a writer

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): the way we intercat as well...it it seems to be more respectful

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): and i never use long paragraphs, mainly because i don't have the patience for it

Jani (Janire Coba): here i act like.. women arr feeling more free

Zoe Foodiboo: Yes, I agree, protocol and respect here is highly valued.

Adele Kling: Respect, proper use of titles.

Mab Ashdene: I only ever roleplay here.

Karlin Lutrova: para rpl is difficult for me also

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): and those who are NOT respectful, are doing it as part of RP

Zoe Foodiboo: I forget myself with that, sometimes, Adele.

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Me too

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): (thinking of a dark alt)

Adele Kling: For me too, Karlin. I'm not that creative.

Karlin Lutrova: rude r p can be dicely though

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): also I do not think we rp like goreans…they tend to make super long literate statements in each sentence

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): also it slows down the interaction a bit, doing long paragraphs

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): but i don't mind others doing it

whispy (whispy Darkstone): i research all my roles then use my imagination... i mainly use fantasy based on mythology but always with lots of research often to be disapointed that what the sim declares does not happen ie as in much rp,,, mostly occ chat but here i have seen much potential

Jani (Janire Coba): sometimes i just stay quiet and listen cause i'm super respectful with the rp and if i notice my english can be a bit poor, just.. listen and smile hahaha

Karlin Lutrova: yes para rp I found is hard to keep a temp o

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): true

Karlin Lutrova: so to speak

Zoe Foodiboo: Oh, don't worry about your English, Jani :)

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): i think that is very common for newcomers, Jani, just checking how it works in the sim, listening and learning

Zoe Foodiboo: It's an international city after all

Jani (Janire Coba): oh yes, till i finish my english degree i must stay quiet, read and learn

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): i did that as well when i was new

Jani (Janire Coba): hahah

Zoe Foodiboo: True, Rose.

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): I agree Rosemary.

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): I gave this example to Herr Web yesterday. Imagine five people sitting at a table

Jani (Janire Coba): aham

Karlin Lutrova: to be , it is just talking like from a script, not reciting some novel

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): /me nods

Karlin Lutrova: to be **

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Two are fully IC, two are fully OOC and one is a newbie

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): It confuses people

Karlin Lutrova: yes, very much

Adele Kling: Yes

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): I felt very confused at first as to who is who

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): indeed

Jani (Janire Coba): haha yes

Karlin Lutrova: I have been in rp sims where it was VERY strict

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): haha

Karlin Lutrova: OOC an y ou got in trouble

Jani (Janire Coba): unless they use this "(())" double.. thingies ^^

Karlin Lutrova: here, find it confusing

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): that is why i think the double paragraphs ((like this)) is good to use when OOC

Zoe Foodiboo: I agree, Rose.

Angello Valerian: indeed

Karlin Lutrova: never srue if someone is OOC or not at times

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): agreed

Zoe Foodiboo: I must remember to use them.

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): even if i think we all forget it now and then

Jani (Janire Coba): paragraphs! thanks for the word haha

Karlin Lutrova: true**

Adele Kling: Yes, Berlin is lite-RP, so far.

Karlin Lutrova: /me nods

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): i don't think i would like it if it was that incredibly strict

Zoe Foodiboo: Me neither.

Adele Kling: Which is fine.

whispy (whispy Darkstone): no one can apologise for their english not being good especially if it is a second or third language, some of us who are english academics are also dyslexic and out english appears awfully :D

Karlin Lutrova: I am nver good with vague rules lol

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): me neither

Zoe Foodiboo: But too loose isn't fun either....I guess we need to find that pleasant balance...

Jani (Janire Coba): haha whispy

Karlin Lutrova: I just try to deal with it =)

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): Yet rp is an area of opportunity

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): I agree Zoe

Karlin Lutrova: me too!

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): agree Zoe

Karlin Lutrova: may I mention?

webspelunker Ghostraven: ((For the record I'm a Marxist in RP and RL.))

Karlin Lutrova: IM ing in the middle of RP is also confusing

Karlin Lutrova: like " is this IM roleplay ? or OOC"

Greta Fuchsin (GretaFuchsin Resident): When I came here, I was scared to death about the roleplaying.I wasn't sure what to expect. Listening to some of the residents showed me how to be "me" but still "in character". I try to keep in character but be me also.

Zoe Foodiboo: Oh, I always consider IM to be OOC.

Karlin Lutrova: its not possible in Real Life™ at any rate

Karlin Lutrova: I am find that to be a good idea Zoe

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): I let people know when IIM them IC

Jani (Janire Coba): me too , greta

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): but usually I keep IMs for OOC business

Karlin Lutrova: I unintentionally have offended some because

Karlin Lutrova: I have learned to " keep rp firends in the rp sims"

Adele Kling: I try not to IM at all while in RP. If there one thing I hate is when I enter a room and everyone is quiet, sending IMs, instead of being engaged in RP chat.

Karlin Lutrova: other wise it get's too involved

Karlin Lutrova: if that makes any sense to anyone

Mab Ashdene: I like involved.

Adele Kling: It does.

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): me too Mab

Zoe Foodiboo: oh....I'm terribly guilty of that, adele. :P

Karlin Lutrova: what happens here , stays here

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha

Karlin Lutrova: RP wise

Adele Kling: haha

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): but i think i'm guilty of it too

Karlin Lutrova: lol, I sound like mafioso

Zoe Foodiboo: But I will try to be better from now on!

Jani (Janire Coba): i use ims to ask about any rule, or doubt, or business

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): especially since i have a husband who is very fond of IM :P

Karlin Lutrova: agrees with Janire

Adele Kling: haha, Rosemary

Zoe Foodiboo: /me wiggles her eyebrows at Rose

Karlin Lutrova: well, that is ,,, a different scenario

Greta Fuchsin (GretaFuchsin Resident): Let's face it. Some things will not translate from the 1920's to the 21st century. We, not matter how much research we do, will not be perfect 1920's people. But we can also respect the time we are in here and act as close to the times as we can.

Zoe Foodiboo: absolutely, Greta

Jani (Janire Coba): agrees

Karlin Lutrova: to be candid, the rules do indeed say to keep , uh,,, private things in IM

Karlin Lutrova: its in the tenant rules

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): I think in order to have a better rp, we all must have our roles clear…otherwise the local chat is simply not interesting

Zoe Foodiboo: I think we all do....

Karlin Lutrova: tell your husband that lol

Zoe Foodiboo: Er, I mean they all do. Not me. I'm never naughty.

Zoe Foodiboo: lol

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha karlin

Adele Kling: /me coughs

Karlin Lutrova: /me coughs too

Mab Ashdene: Tell us about your youth and innocence, Zoe.

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Of course, but say you walk into the Keller and it's full of people but dead silent mostly. That's because everyone is IMing

Karlin Lutrova: lol just keeping it real friends

Jani (Janire Coba): me either, the naughtiest thing i've done here is to dance with gustav at eldorado

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha

Zoe Foodiboo: /me giggles at Mab

Jani (Janire Coba): i can't be more pure and virginal than i am already here lol

Adele Kling: I hate that Teruumi

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Oh, Jani LOL

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): me too

Karlin Lutrova: the naugtiest for me I think is muttting a milllion fire places here

Karlin Lutrova: lol

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): yes, it's like a film by Ingemar Bergman, silence everywhere

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha karlin

Karlin Lutrova: is that bad?

Karlin Lutrova: muting,

Mab Ashdene: I will not get into my naughtiness.

Jani (Janire Coba): if i'm quiet is cause i am distracted and afk or i'm ready to learn some rp lol

Karlin Lutrova: I learned a trick

Adele Kling: ((For the newcomers, we have a Facebook page. I'm thinking thats a good place to post the film list, as that way oithers can contribute.))

Karlin Lutrova: I hide in a phone booth

Pola Solo: Hi!

Karlin Lutrova: if I dont want interaction

Zoe Foodiboo: POla!

Mab Ashdene: Darling!

Adele Kling: Hello Pola

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): Hallo Pola

Zoe Foodiboo: YOu made it!

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Pola! Hallo!

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): Hi Pola

Zoe Foodiboo: Isn't this lovely? Full house!

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Hello Pola :)

Jani (Janire Coba): may i ask something?

Karlin Lutrova: gruess dich Pola =)

whispy (whispy Darkstone): ty i will look for the fb page

Adele Kling: : )

Adele Kling: your welcome

Jani (Janire Coba): should we have in our profile pics the a little description of our character?

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): I do

Zoe Foodiboo: I think that's up to you....

Zoe Foodiboo: Everyone has a different take on it

Karlin Lutrova: I thought of putting that in picks

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): Me too. I alos posted a Bio in FB

Karlin Lutrova: its not for everyone in Second Life™ ofcourse

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): and I keep a NC where I write up more stuff for myself

Jani (Janire Coba): i mean, so others know why we act in some way, i ont know

Zoe Foodiboo: Some prefer not to because then they can really "meet" people and get to know them the way they would in RL.

Karlin Lutrova: and putting in pics is good advert for Berlin 1929 =)

Adele Kling: I have some info. I like to learn about people by interacting with them in RP, but I give a little background.

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): some of us have created backgrounds for our characters, and i know that it helps, it's easier to understand why our characters do what they do

Karlin Lutrova: /me nods

whispy (whispy Darkstone): i like to put my chars in picks, but i like to float around listening and developing first see where i can slot in

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): I keep a short blurb in my picks and then when I rp needs it I share more

Mab Ashdene: I don't really think of myself as a character.

Zoe Foodiboo: Also, there are oral history interviews you can read on Flickr. To learn more about the histories of some of the old timers.

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): good point RoseMary

Karlin Lutrova: my character is obesessed with her dead husband lol

Zoe Foodiboo: Mab, Pola, Tequila, Rose...theirs are all there.

Adele Kling: Correct, but do we have to give a full bio in our profile? For me, it kind of ruins the RP fun.

Karlin Lutrova: maybe too much

Jani (Janire Coba): i agree adele

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Agreed

Karlin Lutrova: me too, to a point

Jani (Janire Coba): i meant like... where we're from, or how i ended in berlin, idk

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): yes it's fun to find out each others background stories the "normal" way

Mab Ashdene: Pola darling, am I a character or am I myself?

Karlin Lutrova: its a good idea, so another may have material on what to ask you about

Zoe Foodiboo: Is Pola drunk?

Jani (Janire Coba): loool

Zoe Foodiboo: Why is she sleeping?

Mab Ashdene: Usually.

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha pola

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): To me it, helps my character reacting to events if I understand where it comes from

Karlin Lutrova: thats why I meantion Otto sometimes

Zoe Foodiboo: see - rp at its finest! :P

Pola Solo: You are a version of yourself.

Mab Ashdene: Interesting.

Karlin Lutrova: to give ppl a idea from which to ask about or rp

ClaireDeAir: Even actors sometimes do a version or themselves.

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): yes Claire

Karlin Lutrova: and my ultra concertvie doting mother in Danzig

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): /me nods

Karlin Lutrova: well yes, "method acting"

Mab Ashdene: I mention grandfather and the mountains sometimes.

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): In a way we are acting

Jani (Janire Coba): hahahaha

Pola Solo: /me giggles.

Jani (Janire Coba): yes mab

Karlin Lutrova: like Dustin Hoffman said his was techique

Jani (Janire Coba): you made me laugh a lot yesterday, you funny woman

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Exceot that the script is being written while we do that

Karlin Lutrova: in his early years of cineama I

Karlin Lutrova: should say

whispy (whispy Darkstone): improvisation is how i think of rp,,,, something i love

Karlin Lutrova: has to be improv!

Karlin Lutrova: I totally agree

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): yes!

ClaireDeAir: I love to do improv

Karlin Lutrova: it's not like we are professional actorls

ClaireDeAir: it is a lot of fun.

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): hahah Karlin

Adele Kling: thats for sure

Karlin Lutrova: let alone that face its hit an miss when any of us are here

whispy (whispy Darkstone): which is where the place and lose rules set the scene along with brief character background

Karlin Lutrova: =)

Mab Ashdene: Pola and I practice our routines at home before showing up at the Eldo.

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): since i use some alts showing different personalities, i often curse the fact that i'm on as the wrong character, since i may for instance in a discussion know the perfect thing for one of my alts to say, but the problem is that i am not online as the right person

Mab Ashdene: We are no good at improv.

Karlin Lutrova: its not a complaint, more a observation, but its hard to know what to plan in rp

Zoe Foodiboo: Sure you are! Your interview was hysterical.

Karlin Lutrova: even from one week to the next

Karlin Lutrova: if that makes sense to anyone ?

Jani (Janire Coba): alts? for rp?

Pola Solo: We improvise reluctantly, and grumble a lot.

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): yes it does

Jani (Janire Coba): i'd go insane

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha

Jani (Janire Coba): this is my one and only avi

ClaireDeAir: I am an musician and I do some acting, myself.

Karlin Lutrova: just saying, thats why improv is really the only choice

Karlin Lutrova: not a bad thing mind you =)

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): I only use this avi also

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): me too

Karlin Lutrova: same here I should say this set up and outfits

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): and it proves to be tiring sometimes

Karlin Lutrova: thoug, I do like to go bout sometimes

Zoe Foodiboo: I use my grandpa on occasion. I'm not good at being an old man tho.

Adele Kling: haha

Karlin Lutrova: just today someone asked me about this rp sim

Karlin Lutrova: I was n a sneaker sshop

Jani (Janire Coba): if you all use alts i wont find a husband, in case is any of you, mean women

Karlin Lutrova: anyway, she might come

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): But I mean, even if having cear roles in the city, sometimes rp simply does not happen…Like Morgie has all those stores, and Addie have the photo studio. How many of you had visited her studios to rp a portrait?

Karlin Lutrova: what if I brought Otto back from the dea d?

Karlin Lutrova: in an lat Oo

Karlin Lutrova: alt lol

Adele Kling: Yeah, how many?

Adele Kling: /me laughs

Zoe Foodiboo: Well, I did ask Adele and we talked, but we're rarely on at the same time.

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): i haven't, but i will :)

Karlin Lutrova: that would be quite a gossip topic at least in the Keller

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Very good point

Jani (Janire Coba): the thing is... Morganic is too quiet, and i don't dare to speak to him :$

Zoe Foodiboo: there goes the sun

Karlin Lutrova: not too far fetched really

Jani (Janire Coba): he scares me

Adele Kling: Morganic is often afk, hard to RP with him.

Karlin Lutrova: tea leave reading, and all that was the rage

Zoe Foodiboo: He scares you? aw. He's the sweetest man....

Zoe Foodiboo: and so funny

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): but i think Elvina stole some developer fluid from you, Adele

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): I have seen a lot of people taking on roles such as workers in the places, and rp simply does not happenɽ

Adele Kling: But you can hang out at his shops, they are fun.

Jani (Janire Coba): haha i dont know him, maybe that's why

Karlin Lutrova: naaah, its that card board cheef that creeps me out

Adele Kling: Og gawd, hope she doesn't drink it.

Karlin Lutrova: he keeps staring at me !

Jani (Janire Coba): hahahahahha

Karlin Lutrova: the pervert , don't yu know

Zoe Foodiboo: Morgy's such a dear.

Adele Kling: He is

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): Morganic's really not that much into RP, as far as i know, he's into building and organizing

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): hahaha Karlin...Hope Honoria doesn't hear you saying that

Adele Kling: Yes, Rosemary.

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): he's like everybody's brother :)

Karlin Lutrova: he has a heart

Karlin Lutrova: I can tell even behind the screen =)

Zoe Foodiboo: True, he doesn't rp much. But he's very knowledgeable about the period. He's a good resource and fun to talk to.

Jani (Janire Coba): hey, jo

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): yes agree

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): yes

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): ah missed it, blasted

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Guten Abend Frau Jo

Adele Kling: oh yes

Zoe Foodiboo: Hallo Frau Jo

Zoe Foodiboo: Well, we're still talking.

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Hallo Frau Jo

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): /me waves to Frau Jo

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): No, you're just in time to continue

Karlin Lutrova: the comment on the mr cardboard was not a relfection on that adorable man

Zoe Foodiboo: There's a couple of seats.

Mab Ashdene: Just in time for gossip.

Jani (Janire Coba): i said maybe he scares me cause i dont know him

Karlin Lutrova: uhoh, that Frau Yardley is here

Angello Valerian: Guten Abend Fray Jo

Karlin Lutrova: everone look busy !

webspelunker Ghostraven: Hello Frau Jo!

Alf Korhonen: I still looking at the girls! :)

Jani (Janire Coba): but he stays there, quiet, with his moustache, and scares me :$

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): Anyone would be able to make a little synthesis for Frau Jo? I do not think we have met any agreements, have we?

Karlin Lutrova: lol greetings Jo !

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): Morganic is friendly and has a lot of knowledge of the time, i've learnt lots from him

Zoe Foodiboo: hahaha, Alf

Alf Korhonen: They are so cute!

Karlin Lutrova: synthesis?

Zoe Foodiboo: Well, no, but many interesting perspectives were shared.

Karlin Lutrova: what do you mean Tequila =)

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): she means a quick sum up

Zoe Foodiboo: I think we agreed we want more old people. and fat people. er, curvy.

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): forget about it

Karlin Lutrova: oh , I'm sorry , dont mind me

Karlin Lutrova: I think that was about language

Pola Solo: Hallo Frau Jo.

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): and more rp

Karlin Lutrova: sorry :(

Jani (Janire Coba): yep

Mab Ashdene: Shall I go fat and old?

Zoe Foodiboo: oh yes, brackets

Karlin Lutrova: lol

Jani (Janire Coba): i wont go fat and old

Alf Korhonen: Maybe I might call my father to visit Berlin again!

Second Life: Cuthbert Helendale is online.

Jani (Janire Coba): sorry, but NO

Zoe Foodiboo: Let's all get fat and old!

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha

Jani (Janire Coba): no!

Adele Kling: and less IM, heh

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): oh, and that not everyone has to be a flapper

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): we will soon

webspelunker Ghostraven: speak for yourselves!

Karlin Lutrova: what if I do undead like the Nosforatu film in berlin at that time

Jani (Janire Coba): in rl indeed rosemary haha

Karlin Lutrova: lol jk

Karlin Lutrova: wasn't the Jack the Ripper story orginated from Berlin?

whispy (whispy Darkstone): if you all go fat and old i will have to go back to the younger av i arrived with lol

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): in sl too but it takes some time :D

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): and we spoke about developing backgrounds for our characters

Jani (Janire Coba): i miss some policemen bothering people

Jani (Janire Coba): to be honest

Jani (Janire Coba): lol

Karlin Lutrova: Jac des Messer?

Karlin Lutrova: or some thing

Karlin Lutrova: I recalll that 3 penny oper tune

Jani (Janire Coba): like: your skirt is short! you havent paid your rent! or... your car is there in the middle or nowhere

Jani (Janire Coba): i dont know

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): I think we need a criminal organization, lol

Jani (Janire Coba): just bothering

Jani (Janire Coba): lol

Jani (Janire Coba): oh yessss

Jani (Janire Coba): criminals in berlin

webspelunker Ghostraven: It would help!

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): Vera started one last autumn, but then it all ended

Karlin Lutrova: may I ask?

Zoe Foodiboo: we had one, didn't we?

Zoe Foodiboo: Mo's gone

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): why did it end?

Karlin Lutrova: where tere even usch a thing a women as polizeii?

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Mo was attacking my door the other day

Zoe Foodiboo: I think cause Vera left.

Karlin Lutrova: in those years?

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): he's back apparentky

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): vera vanished, she does that sometimes

Karlin Lutrova: there **

Zoe Foodiboo: He was? I never see him anymore....

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): and yes there were female members of the kriminal polizei

ClaireDeAir: /camto offf

Karlin Lutrova: I am sorry, but its very difficult to type when every letter appears 2 seconds later sorry for errors

Jani (Janire Coba): were there criminal women?

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): of course

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): of course

Adele Kling: Always!

Karlin Lutrova: I wonder , if my rp can go in taht direction Jo

ClaireDeAir: /camto off

Karlin Lutrova: I need to research that

Zoe Foodiboo: I don't see why not.

whispy (whispy Darkstone): i arrived as a young preformer,,, but realised that perhaps there are many of them with the flappers,,,, so bought in granny to explore less filled rp groups etc

Angello Valerian: there is a kind of army ... At least two military who can protect us haha

Mab Ashdene: I broke into the cafe earlier.

Karlin Lutrova: awesome , then I can scold men for rude behavior

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): Criminal women is a must have…they help a lot as they are less suspicious of things

Karlin Lutrova: lo l jk

Jani (Janire Coba): haha yes

Telephone: whispers: Thank you! Click the telephone to place your call

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): there always have been and always will be ciminal women

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): yes

Jani (Janire Coba): we need criminals, murderers, kidnappers, and policemen

Karlin Lutrova: you mean polizei yes Jo?

Mab Ashdene: But surely not VERY criminal women.

Alf Korhonen: Hei isä! Se Alf poikasi!

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): /me looks at Pola

Karlin Lutrova: or do you mean women that did crime

Jani (Janire Coba): it's just a suggestions, lol ,and idea

Zoe Foodiboo: We have policemen

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): kriminal polizei is a division of the police

webspelunker Ghostraven: Female Party members were considered criminals by some.

Jani (Janire Coba): but zoe are they active rpers?

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): Elvina is quite harmless as a criminal

Zoe Foodiboo: Alf, are you alright?

Alf Korhonen: "Muistatko minut! Miten äiti?"

Karlin Lutrova: interestint, I must research that Jo

Jani (Janire Coba): (idk, just asking since i'm new to here)

Zoe Foodiboo: I think they are, Jani. I ran one over a couple of weeks ago.

Mab Ashdene: Pola, are we criminals?

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): its not much walking on the streets but more doing work at police stations and dealing with prisoners

Alf Korhonen: Sorryv talking to dad in Vienna! Line is bad

Karlin Lutrova: ah, desk work

Pola Solo: We are sort of demimonde, I think

Karlin Lutrova: actually makes sense

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): Yes, the police that checks the political events is different than criminal police, no?

Alf Korhonen: "Onko sinulla aikaa käydä Berliini pian!"

webspelunker Ghostraven: Typically!

Zoe Foodiboo: oh, sim police vs rp police you mean?

ClaireDeAir: How do you become a police officer here?

Jani (Janire Coba): or maybe sudenly.... someone with a gun threating people at der keller

Karlin Lutrova: I really must read more than I am if I expect to be in character at all

Jani (Janire Coba): lol

Mab Ashdene: Is auctioning underage boys criminal?

Jani (Janire Coba): that'd be funny

Alf Korhonen: "On lopetettava nyt, koska se on kallista soittaa!"

webspelunker Ghostraven: I have some knowledge of these matters.

whispy (whispy Darkstone): women political activists from the sufferagettes to communists and anarchist did political actions to get noticed then as now

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): people are invited to join the police

ClaireDeAir: ok

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): So, criminal police could be easily rp'ed without interfering with Dantiz

ClaireDeAir: great

Karlin Lutrova: uh, Berlin was wild and progressive but not THAT much

Alf Korhonen: "Terveys äiti katsottuna Voi pian!"

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): criminal police?

Alf Korhonen: "Hyvästi isä!"

Karlin Lutrova: good pont Tequila

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): problem is that in berlin police has real powers and are sim maanagers

ClaireDeAir: a bod cop

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): so we cant make anyone a cop

ClaireDeAir: bad*

Alf Korhonen: Dam line!

Jani (Janire Coba): oh

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): the second you have a badge people assume you're a manager

Karlin Lutrova: maybe rp polizei could interefere with actually Sim security

Jani (Janire Coba): but we can make anyone a criminal with a gun

Karlin Lutrova: never thought of that

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): yes, we would need to separate the groups

Jani (Janire Coba): attacking your der keller

Alf Korhonen: Back!

Jani (Janire Coba): and scaring women

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha

Mab Ashdene: I once got locked up for pulling a gun.

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): so who would be considered as a good cop in Berlin?

Mab Ashdene: But I didn't mean to shoot it!

Karlin Lutrova: shame on you !

Zoe Foodiboo: it's fun getting arrested

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): it is!

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): i know we have one or two corrupt cops

Alf Korhonen: Shoot and kill

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): Yes, police forces have divisions as far as I understand…some place investigate protests and political crimes, while the criminal police would be on charge of investigating murderers, no? then there is the drug police…if I am right….

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): but most take their job seriously, if only they could be online more

Karlin Lutrova: so man y directions to do with that idea lol

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): any kind of hapenning is fun to take part in

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): some of our cops even have rl law experience :)

Alf Korhonen: My mother was still ill but my father might come next week to Berlin! Depends on mothers health

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): the major RP event in Berlin is getting closer and closer

webspelunker Ghostraven: Or they could be NSA!

Karlin Lutrova: is it ok to bring up the subject of , the politics that was more and more of what Berlinweould be?

Karlin Lutrova: I know its a deliccate subject but

Karlin Lutrova: I enjoy referranes to actual events

Karlin Lutrova: at the time

Karlin Lutrova: Jo?

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): you can discus nazism all you want, just stay away from being a proper antisemite

Karlin Lutrova: well yes ofcourse not that

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): the second we start tp suspect being all excited about jolly nazism is more than just roleplay, you're at trouble

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): the newspapers help us find things to talk about too

Zoe Foodiboo: whispers: Hallo Ludwig!

Ludwig Caesar (Ludwig2005 Resident): huh.....

Karlin Lutrova: but well, maybe its too complicated to try an incorporate that element

Karlin Lutrova: most of it at the time was in Bavaria anyway

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): And you can always be with or against nazism, no? In RL not every German citizen would be in agreement with it

Jani (Janire Coba): uhm... i wouldnt be comfortable talking about nazism

Jani (Janire Coba): so i'd be quiet again lol

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): then don't

Karlin Lutrova: was that ok to bring up? I just really like to know any guiddelines about that

Karlin Lutrova: me either, not in a supporting way at all

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): we're not making mandatory rules, just discussing possibilities

Zoe Foodiboo: sharing ideas

Jani (Janire Coba): yep

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): i find that it happens that we talk about nazis, but that we often just regard them as silly bavarians

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): berlin was a "red" city and mostly anti nazi, even in 1933 the nazis didnt get half the votes

Karlin Lutrova: my character does not support the Reds either btw

Jani (Janire Coba): oh, then alright

Mab Ashdene: I like men in uniform.

Jani (Janire Coba): i can talk about them as silly bavarians

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): but now and then I do let slip that I agree with the nazis on art and the decadence of society, then again socialists agreed with that as well

Jani (Janire Coba): problem sorted ^^

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): and communists

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): or as bumpkins, the way city folk often view people in the countryside

Karlin Lutrova: I agree with Jo

Angello Valerian: i'd prefer a kind of Berlin mafia, than a lot of politicians around us hahah

Jani (Janire Coba): mafia

Jani (Janire Coba): yes!

Karlin Lutrova: some of their values may ahve made sense

Karlin Lutrova: but thats all really imo

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): i remember there were some maffia RP starting some years ago

whispy (whispy Darkstone): hitler was a very charismatic character good speaker just like mussilini, they woed the public or some were just not comfortable with politics more liked fun others took politics very seriously

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): stupid modern art and architecture

Karlin Lutrova: unfortunately true Whispy

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): but it may have been more based on Italy than Germany

Karlin Lutrova: very persuasive

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): I hope people see the movie M and get excited about creating a Berlin based underworld

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): prostitutes, thieves, beggars

Karlin Lutrova: Hind Site is perfect sit so, ppl didnt know

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): like in that movie, not like al capone

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): I read a book that is called 'the wet fish' and it is very interesting, involving some Russian gold that is leading to several murders, but the book is not translated to English for some weird reason

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): that would give so much dimension to the town

Karlin Lutrova: isi t just tittled " M"?

webspelunker Ghostraven: Those are small potatoes....

Alf Korhonen: I can just say it is a great movie and if you have not seen it! you should!

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): M is really an interesting movie indeed.

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): Yes, M, 1931, one of the best movies ever

Karlin Lutrova: oh,it was a romaticiised crimenal?

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): a classic

webspelunker Ghostraven: Organized crime is about extortion, blackmail, fencing, and the like!

Alf Korhonen: it is with sound as well!

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): there is also a magazine about RL crime at the newspaper kiosk here

Zoe Foodiboo: Maybe it'll play again at the Babylon

Karlin Lutrova: fun

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): and I try to put in as many crime stories into the newspaper as I can, but just don't have enough time to write one every day

Karlin Lutrova: btw, are those magazines here readable as a HUD kindd of thing?

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): No, but I am thinking about making one with turnable pages

Karlin Lutrova: Ive only bought posted art on the city walls and suck

Karlin Lutrova: such

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): you suck walls?

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): oh right

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Oh great!

Karlin Lutrova: lol

Jani (Janire Coba): hhaahahahhaahhhh

Karlin Lutrova: :P

Karlin Lutrova: IT was a TYPO !!

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): haha

Karlin Lutrova: LOL

Jani (Janire Coba): what would Otto say about you sucking walls...

Karlin Lutrova: gosh I am a bit flushed Real Life™

Karlin Lutrova: how funny

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): hahaha

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): Pola, you have to kidnap Alf and give him a makeover, so, there, I've given you a first criminal underworld plan ;)

Jani (Janire Coba): oh yes, plz

Karlin Lutrova: Oo

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Wooooo

Karlin Lutrova: the mafioso is alive and well!

Alf Korhonen: WHAT

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): we love you alf, but your 2007 skin makes me want to get a metal brush ;)

Karlin Lutrova: well, it was nice knowing you Alf

Mab Ashdene: Pola, you are not the criminal underground.

Jani (Janire Coba): hahahaha

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): hahaha

Zoe Foodiboo: Frau Jo!

Zoe Foodiboo: my goodness.

Jani (Janire Coba): but she's right!

Jani (Janire Coba): just.... too sincere maybe

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): May I participate in that one? I love shopping...The fashion police arrests Alf!

Jani (Janire Coba): but right

Alf Korhonen: Yw Karlin

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): be nice to Alf!

Karlin Lutrova: actually true, I mention that too with good intention Alf

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): i agree though :P

Karlin Lutrova: the Sound of Silence........

Jani (Janire Coba): haha

Jani (Janire Coba): ok then

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): sorry, couldnt resist

Karlin Lutrova: I meant no offence either :(

Alf Korhonen: It would not be me if I transfer into someone else! (:

Jani (Janire Coba): we all agree on that

Karlin Lutrova: seriously

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): but alf knows, I've been teasing about that for a while ;)

Jani (Janire Coba): Alf, we love you, but you need a makeover

Jani (Janire Coba): next point!

Alf Korhonen: I know and you still refuse to merry me! :)

Karlin Lutrova: oh comn, 2007 is very sexy

Karlin Lutrova: lol

Zoe Foodiboo: Well, don't go getting to movie star-ish.....the women will never leave you alone and you won't want to leave your apartment

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): skin change first!

Alf Korhonen: Like a rattle snake! LOL

Karlin Lutrova: yeah no Fabio skin PLEASE!

Clara Croll (Lephty Lewsey): or a new liver

Jani (Janire Coba): jo, don't marry him till he looks like an updated avi, please

Karlin Lutrova: Fabio would be worse than the present

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): there is a new skin shop in VR, great realistic real people skins

Jani (Janire Coba): i wonder who fabio is lol

Karlin Lutrova: ooooo, a gossip item

Karlin Lutrova: /me takes notes

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): old people, people who dont sleep enough, in short, people like me

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): What about Valentino alike skin?

Karlin Lutrova: ok, kind of like Arnold then

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): oh my

Jani (Janire Coba): fabio, valentino, what's up with italian skins? hahaha

webspelunker Ghostraven: Great!

Pola Solo: The Italian sex mall has opened, obviously.

webspelunker Ghostraven: Guess what I'm doing?

Zoe Foodiboo: I'm tellin' ya, being handsome in Berlin ain't for sissies. Some of the women are crazy.

Clara Croll (Lephty Lewsey): do they have older people skins?

Zoe Foodiboo: /me twirls her finger near her temple and whistles

Karlin Lutrova: if Alf appears here looking like Swarzennegger I will shoot !

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha zoe

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Hahah, agreed Zoe!

Jani (Janire Coba): oh me to

Alf Korhonen: LOL

Mab Ashdene: Zoe, don't be mean to me.

Zoe Foodiboo: lol

Karlin Lutrova: orsome pin head with maxeed out shoulders ..ick

Jani (Janire Coba): if Afl appears like Arnold it'll be a criminal war here in berlin

Jani (Janire Coba): lol

Jani (Janire Coba): and.. if gustav gets an old skin i wont dance with him again

Karlin Lutrova: hmmmm. who is Daddyo

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Much older?????LOL

Zoe Foodiboo: Gustav?

Zoe Foodiboo: Rose's husband?

Clara Croll (Lephty Lewsey): well, I would like a slightly aged skin

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): Fru Jo, do you think it is possible to profile some characters for the May protests? I mean, I have no clue on where my character would fit in that event...

Zoe Foodiboo: ohhh, that Gustav

Karlin Lutrova: maybe I should turn off that when avatars enter thingy

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Yep, me. Much older???LOL

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): profile characters?

Jani (Janire Coba): Gustav is married?

Jani (Janire Coba): him too?

Zoe Foodiboo: I think you're dreamy, Gustav :) I love your look.

Jani (Janire Coba): oh come on

Karlin Lutrova: well, not older than 90 ok?

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): Gustav not Gustov

Zoe Foodiboo: Gustov Chesnokov? Yes, to Rose.

Jani (Janire Coba): then i better change my avi to an old fat one

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Danke, Zoe ;) My love!

Jani (Janire Coba): since i wint get a rp husband

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha

Zoe Foodiboo: /me winks

Jani (Janire Coba): no

Jani (Janire Coba): this gustav

Zoe Foodiboo: Oh, that Gustav.

Jani (Janire Coba): the one there

Karlin Lutrova: so it's settled, Otto will mysteriusly come back from the dead

Mab Ashdene: Pola, maybe we should get a rp husband.

Zoe Foodiboo: Well, you might wait a long time if you wait for a marriage proposal from him....

Pola Solo: We could, I suppose.

Jani (Janire Coba): and there'll be some criminals with gund at der keller

Karlin Lutrova: ok, not really, I should get seroiusl sorry

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): like having a bit of description about what characters would fit in the May protests. Like a flapper for example….would she be with the reds or with the status quo?

Mab Ashdene: No one would be brave enough.

Zoe Foodiboo: ooooh, there's a man!

Zoe Foodiboo: Hello there Herr

webspelunker Ghostraven: She's welcome with the Reds!

Karlin Lutrova: greetings Mr daddyo

Clara Croll (Lephty Lewsey): he's a tall one

Daddyo (daddyo99649964 Resident): hello

Zoe Foodiboo: Welcome, have a seat.

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): shah Herr Ghostraven…I mean in a real historical way

Guy Cutter (GeorgeW Carver): Berlin had beatnicks in 1929?

Karlin Lutrova: well, if yoru e talking about time periods no

Guy Cutter (GeorgeW Carver): /me chuckles

Karlin Lutrova: but you can be sure the values and ideals of beatniks was there

Karlin Lutrova: Kerouac would hav e lved Berlin imo

Karlin Lutrova: loved *

Jani (Janire Coba): ok...erm...

Jani (Janire Coba): we need men here in berlin

Jani (Janire Coba): HAHAHAHA

Jani (Janire Coba): a lot of men

Karlin Lutrova: /me nods "true

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): /me chuckles

Karlin Lutrova: omg is it raining men ??

Pola Solo: I have a male alt, but I'm useless at it.

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): well lure them here

Jani (Janire Coba): it should be raining men

webspelunker Ghostraven: Karlin's right...

Jani (Janire Coba): naked ones

Jani (Janire Coba): yoohoo

Guy Cutter (GeorgeW Carver): /me rubs his eyes

Jani (Janire Coba): no, i dont want an alt :(

Karlin Lutrova: for shame Jo !

webspelunker Ghostraven: Weimar was the start of the Beat generation!

Mab Ashdene: How can we lure men in?

Karlin Lutrova: lol jk

Zoe Foodiboo: We'll post you at the Teleportplatz, Mab

Karlin Lutrova: silence

Pola Solo: Hahahah!

Karlin Lutrova: now that could actually work

Jani (Janire Coba): how can we bring some men to rp here in berlin.... lemme think....

whispy (whispy Darkstone): not sure my granny would lure them,,,, *chcuckles*

Mab Ashdene: How about a nice cardboard cutout?

Pola Solo: Yes!

whispy (whispy Darkstone): but being ready to rp with folk when they wander the city works well i think

Zoe Foodiboo: Do you have the one from the exhibit?

Karlin Lutrova: why not, cutouts are hot

Mab Ashdene: No

Pola Solo: Mab is a moveable feast.

Zoe Foodiboo: Those were hilarious.

Jani (Janire Coba): i could post on flickr we need a criminal group of men to rp here

Jani (Janire Coba): loool

Karlin Lutrova: ok, not really

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): I've been trying. But well, all of my friends are....well, you know LOL

webspelunker Ghostraven: Appeal to the workers!

webspelunker Ghostraven: They'll come!

Mab Ashdene: They said things, didn't they?

Pola Solo: Yes.

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha gustav

Jani (Janire Coba): hahaha

Jani (Janire Coba): i just adore you

Zoe Foodiboo: They did. Maybe Sein has them in his inventory.

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): ;)

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): /me winks

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): we should let people know what berlin is all about

Pola Solo: I have a copy of mine. Let me find it.

Pola Solo: /me searches through her purse.

Karlin Lutrova: in his intentory?

Jani (Janire Coba): i agree with jo

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): there are so many options that people dont consider

Zoe Foodiboo: oh, they were so cute.

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): same problem with kids

Mab Ashdene: What did they say? I am curious. I forgot.

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): people have no imagination these days!

Karlin Lutrova: you have men in your inventory?

Karlin Lutrova: lol being silly

Zoe Foodiboo: She's got Pola in her inventory.

Zoe Foodiboo: Just wait, it's adorable.

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): Pocket Pola

Karlin Lutrova: very convenient

Jani (Janire Coba): uhm... i could bring my ex rl bf here to rp lol

Jani (Janire Coba): he's an english funny one

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): I think a little bit of reading is good for imagination….yet what to read…that is the question

Karlin Lutrova: you sure that could invite drama though ?

Zoe Foodiboo: I tried to bring my beau but he's in EQ all the time.

Karlin Lutrova: to be candid

Jani (Janire Coba): me? drama? nah, we super friends

Karlin Lutrova: awesome

Jani (Janire Coba): and he's as obsessed with boardwalk empire as me lol

Mab Ashdene: Don't bring your boyfriend in. That would be ... unwise.

Zoe Foodiboo: Is that it Pola?

Zoe Foodiboo: oh

Pola Solo: I'm not sure

Jani (Janire Coba): no no, EX boyfriend, now just friends lol

Zoe Foodiboo: I wish I'd kept copies for the archives. I assumed Sein did.

Pola Solo: Yes, there it is. I think.

Pola Solo: You need a scarf with that. Lots of scarves.

Karlin Lutrova: wish I could find someone who could rp my shrew ofa mother

Zoe Foodiboo: oooh, yes!

Pola Solo: No, you'd look terrible in that. Buy something else. No, we don't have anything else.

Zoe Foodiboo: hahahahaha

Zoe Foodiboo: that was such a fun exhibit

Pola Solo: Did I tell you we carried your size? Oops.

Karlin Lutrova: though< i really have not filled out that character though

Pola Solo: It was perfect.

Lori Miles (Lorelai Winslet): : )

Jani (Janire Coba): loool

Mab Ashdene: Haha!

Pola Solo: Did I tell you we carried your size? Oops.

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): I have guests at home RL this evening and most go to organize everything, but I will be following this conversation via FB if you post it there

Karlin Lutrova: fun fun

Pola Solo: This is my "mean shopgirl" cutout.

Tequila Mockingbird (Tequila Krovac): Good night

Zoe Foodiboo: Okay, I will if that's okay with everyone.

Jani (Janire Coba): good night tequila

Karlin Lutrova: oh , I actually bought that outfit I think lol

Pola Solo: Good night, Tequila dear.

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): i am going to remodel teleportplatz one day, might be fun ti try something a bit more up there to lure people in

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): Auf wiedersehen!

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Good night Tequila

Karlin Lutrova: bis bald Teqiula

Zoe Foodiboo: It was so cute with Mabs

Second Life: Neil Langrishe (Poohneil Streeter) is online.

Karlin Lutrova: =)

Pola Solo: What are you wearing under that? No, don't tell me; I can see it.

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Auf Wiedersehen Tequila

Jani (Janire Coba): who can make a good sign to atract ment to rp here

Jani (Janire Coba): lol

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): bye tequila

Karlin Lutrova: good idea Jo !

Jani (Janire Coba): something about criminals, they love that stuff

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Well, I have to go, too. RL things.

Mab Ashdene: I don't have mine.

Jani (Janire Coba): bye, gustav!

Mab Ashdene: Pola, do you have mine?

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): Bye guys.

Karlin Lutrova: tasteful yet a bit more aggressive ?

Pola Solo: Good bye, Gustav. See you later.

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): Auf Wiedersehen Herr Rosenheim

Zoe Foodiboo: Bye Gustav! Thanks for coming.

Pola Solo: I don't think I have yours, darling.

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): well some ideas suggestions backgrounds etc, but I don't want to push too much info on new visitors

Alf Korhonen: Bye Gustav

Gustav von Rosenheim (gustav2005 Resident): /me tips my hat

Pola Solo: I think it's safe to say that ladies should wear proper underthings. Thank goodness we don't carry those here.

Karlin Lutrova: nacht Mein Herr

Zoe Foodiboo: lol

Pola Solo: Did I tell you we carried your size? Oops.

Lori Miles (Lorelai Winslet): Thank you for organizing this event Frl Foodiboo and Frl Simoneaux.

Pola Solo: Whew! I thought she'd NEVER leave.

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): yes it was very interesting

Jani (Janire Coba): loool

Mab Ashdene: Hahaa!

Karlin Lutrova: actually that Old ...does

Jani (Janire Coba): this Pola is mean!

Pola Solo: I think it's safe to say that ladies should wear proper underthings. Thank goodness we don't carry those here.

Pola Solo: No, you'd look terrible in that. Buy something else. No, we don't have anything else.

Zoe Foodiboo: Oh my pleasure. It was all Frl Teruumi. I just sent out the invitations.

Karlin Lutrova: I forgot it 's name

Pola Solo: No, you'd look terrible in that. Buy something else. No, we don't have anything else.

Pola Solo: I think it's safe to say that ladies should wear proper underthings. Thank goodness we don't carry those here.

Pola Solo: What are you wearing under that? No, don't tell me; I can see it.

Karlin Lutrova: Old Vintage?

Pola Solo: Whew! I thought she'd NEVER leave.

whispy (whispy Darkstone): yes thank you very much,,, this has been inspirational,,, i love rp and history and today has been inspiring

Zoe Foodiboo: What did Mab's say? She had some zingers too.

Mab Ashdene: I really don't remember.

Zoe Foodiboo: We'll do it again I think, won't we Frl Teruumi?

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): I hope it was fun and informative to you despite the fact we kind of traveled further from the topic

Karlin Lutrova: the shop to the right as you walk into the lane of shops from the landing spot

Alf Korhonen: The girls still looking cute even if it is late! :)

Pola Solo: Something about facial hair, wasn't it?

Teruumi Jacqueline Simoneaux (Korina Asamoah): I'm sure we will Frl Zoe

Jani (Janire Coba): Alf... your skin.... remember it

Zoe Foodiboo: and medication?

Jani (Janire Coba): hahahahhaha

Frau Jo Yardley (Jo Yardley): we berliners always get distracted

Mab Ashdene: Probably.

Alf Korhonen: ssss don't mention my skin condition

Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova (MsRosemaryThyme Resident): i blame the alcohol

Jani (Janire Coba): oh, plz remember that abput the films, that'll help us a lot

Jani (Janire Coba): Alf, is it a dissease?

Mab Ashde

♡ includes

. style card with landmarks

. shape for reborn

. shape for legacy

. eyebrow shape

Sunshine and morning dew on my lawn.

Includes teams from Mitchell, Harrisburg, Watertown, Aberdeen Central. Permission granted for journalism outlets and educational purposes. Not for commercial use. Must be credited. Photo courtesy of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

©2021 SDPB

 

Believe Tattoos that include details such as my flower font, Lily flower tattoo, butterflies, peace sign charm, stars, angel winged yin yang charm and hearts...

 

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A photographic diversion spotted as I was hoovering out the car this morning.

The garden of Al Montazah is 3000 meters wide contains a huge selection of trees and plants, some of them quite rare. Some of the tropical plants are still in good shape although they have been planted more than 75 years ago. The plant collection in Montazah includes Catania, huge boots, Zamia, Carlota, and special types of palms. This is beside the big size plants like Anthurium, Hokiry, Araliaceae, Victoria, and Ropilia..Taken @Alexandria, Egypt

Drawing is a form of visual art in which a person uses various drawing instruments to mark paper or another two-dimensional medium. Instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, various kinds of erasers, markers, styluses, various metals (such as silverpoint) and electronic drawing.

 

A drawing instrument releases small amount of material onto a surface, leaving a visible mark. The most common support for drawing is paper, although other materials, such as cardboard, plastic, leather, canvas, and board, may be used. Temporary drawings may be made on a blackboard or whiteboard or indeed almost anything. The medium has been a popular and fundamental means of public expression throughout human history. It is one of the simplest and most efficient means of communicating visual ideas.[1] The wide availability of drawing instruments makes drawing one of the most common artistic activities.

In addition to its more artistic forms, drawing is frequently used in commercial illustration, animation, architecture, engineering and technical drawing. A quick, freehand drawing, usually not intended as a finished work, is sometimes called a sketch. An artist who practices or works in technical drawing may be called a drafter, draftsman or a draughtsman.[2]

Drawing is one of the major forms of expression within the visual arts. It is generally concerned with the marking of lines and areas of tone onto paper/other material, where the accurate representation of the visual world is expressed upon a plane surface.[3] Traditional drawings were monochrome, or at least had little colour,[4] while modern colored-pencil drawings may approach or cross a boundary between drawing and painting. In Western terminology, drawing is distinct from painting, even though similar media often are employed in both tasks. Dry media, normally associated with drawing, such as chalk, may be used in pastel paintings. Drawing may be done with a liquid medium, applied with brushes or pens. Similar supports likewise can serve both: painting generally involves the application of liquid paint onto prepared canvas or panels, but sometimes an underdrawing is drawn first on that same support.

  

Madame Palmyre with Her Dog, 1897. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

 

Galileo Galilei. Phases of the Moon. 1616.

Drawing is often exploratory, with considerable emphasis on observation, problem-solving and composition. Drawing is also regularly used in preparation for a painting, further obfuscating their distinction. Drawings created for these purposes are called studies.

 

There are several categories of drawing, including figure drawing, cartooning, doodling, free hand and shading. There are also many drawing methods, such as line drawing, stippling, shading, the surrealist method of entopic graphomania (in which dots are made at the sites of impurities in a blank sheet of paper, and lines are then made between the dots), and tracing (drawing on a translucent paper, such as tracing paper, around the outline of preexisting shapes that show through the paper).

 

A quick, unrefined drawing may be called a sketch.

 

In fields outside art, technical drawings or plans of buildings, machinery, circuitry and other things are often called "drawings" even when they have been transferred to another medium by printing.

 

History[edit]

Drawing as a Form of Communication Drawing is one of the oldest forms of human expression, with evidence for its existence preceding that of written communication.[5] It is believed that drawing was used as a specialised form of communication before the invent of the written language,[5][6] demonstrated by the production of cave and rock paintings created by Homo sapiens sapiens around 30,000 years ago.[7] These drawings, known as pictograms, depicted objects and abstract concepts.[8] The sketches and paintings produced in prehistoric times were eventually stylised and simplified, leading to the development of the written language as we know it today.

 

Drawing in the Arts Drawing is used to express one's creativity, and therefore has been prominent in the world of art. Throughout much of history, drawing was regarded as the foundation for artistic practise.[9] Initially, artists used and reused wooden tablets for the production of their drawings.[10] Following the widespread availability of paper in the 14th century, the use of drawing in the arts increased. At this point, drawing was commonly used as a tool for thought and investigation, acting as a study medium whilst artists were preparing for their final pieces of work.[11][12] In a period of artistic flourish, the Renaissance brought about drawings exhibiting realistic representational qualities,[13] where there was a lot of influence from geometry and philosophy.[14]

 

The invention of the first widely available form of photography led to a shift in the use of drawing in the arts.[15] Photography took over from drawing as a more superior method for accurately representing visual phenomena, and artists began to abandon traditional drawing practises.[16] Modernism in the arts encouraged "imaginative originality"[17] and artists' approach to drawing became more abstract.

 

Drawing Outside the Arts Although the use of drawing is extensive in the arts, its practice is not confined purely to this field. Before the widespread availability of paper, 12th century monks in European monasteries used intricate drawings to prepare illustrated, illuminated manuscripts on vellum and parchment. Drawing has also been used extensively in the field of science, as a method of discovery, understanding and explanation. In 1616, astronomer Galileo Galilei explained the changing phases of the moon through his observational telescopic drawings.[16] Additionally, in 1924, geophysicist Alfred Wegener used illustrations to visually demonstrate the origin of the continents.The medium is the means by which ink, pigment or color are delivered onto the drawing surface. Most drawing media are either dry (e.g. graphite, charcoal, pastels, Conté, silverpoint), or use a fluid solvent or carrier (marker, pen and ink). Watercolor pencils can be used dry like ordinary pencils, then moistened with a wet brush to get various painterly effects. Very rarely, artists have drawn with (usually decoded) invisible ink. Metalpoint drawing usually employs either of two metals: silver or lead.[20] More rarely used are gold, platinum, copper, brass, bronze, and tinpoint.

 

Paper comes in a variety of different sizes and qualities, ranging from newspaper grade up to high quality and relatively expensive paper sold as individual sheets.[21] Papers can vary in texture, hue, acidity, and strength when wet. Smooth paper is good for rendering fine detail, but a more "toothy" paper holds the drawing material better. Thus a coarser material is useful for producing deeper contrast.

 

Newsprint and typing paper may be useful for practice and rough sketches. Tracing paper is used to experiment over a half-finished drawing, and to transfer a design from one sheet to another. Cartridge paper is the basic type of drawing paper sold in pads. Bristol board and even heavier acid-free boards, frequently with smooth finishes, are used for drawing fine detail and do not distort when wet media (ink, washes) are applied. Vellum is extremely smooth and suitable for very fine detail. Coldpressed watercolor paper may be favored for ink drawing due to its texture.

 

Acid-free, archival quality paper keeps its color and texture far longer than wood pulp based paper such as newsprint, which turns yellow and become brittle much sooner.

 

The basic tools are a drawing board or table, pencil sharpener and eraser, and for ink drawing, blotting paper. Other tools used are circle compass, ruler, and set square. Fixative is used to prevent pencil and crayon marks from smudging. Drafting tape is used to secure paper to drawing surface, and also to mask an area to keep it free of accidental marks sprayed or spattered materials and washes. An easel or slanted table is used to keep the drawing surface in a suitable position, which is generally more horizontal than the position used in painting.

 

Technique[edit]

 

Raphael, study for what became the Alba Madonna, with other sketches

Almost all draftsmen use their hands and fingers to apply the media, with the exception of some handicapped individuals who draw with their mouth or feet.[22]

 

Prior to working on an image, the artist typically explores how various media work. They may try different drawing implements on practice sheets to determine value and texture, and how to apply the implement to produce various effects.

 

The artist's choice of drawing strokes affects the appearance of the image. Pen and ink drawings often use hatching—groups of parallel lines.[23] Cross-hatching uses hatching in two or more different directions to create a darker tone. Broken hatching, or lines with intermittent breaks, form lighter tones—and controlling the density of the breaks achieves a gradation of tone. Stippling, uses dots to produce tone, texture or shade. Different textures can be achieved depending on the method used to build tone.[24]

 

Drawings in dry media often use similar techniques, though pencils and drawing sticks can achieve continuous variations in tone. Typically a drawing is filled in based on which hand the artist favors. A right-handed artist draws from left to right to avoid smearing the image. Erasers can remove unwanted lines, lighten tones, and clean up stray marks. In a sketch or outline drawing, lines drawn often follow the contour of the subject, creating depth by looking like shadows cast from a light in the artist's position.

 

Sometimes the artist leaves a section of the image untouched while filling in the remainder. The shape of the area to preserve can be painted with masking fluid or cut out of a frisket and applied to the drawing surface, protecting the surface from stray marks until the mask is removed.

 

Another method to preserve a section of the image is to apply a spray-on fixative to the surface. This holds loose material more firmly to the sheet and prevents it from smearing. However the fixative spray typically uses chemicals that can harm the respiratory system, so it should be employed in a well-ventilated area such as outdoors.

 

Another technique is subtractive drawing in which the drawing surface is covered with graphite or charcoal and then erased to make the image.[25]

 

Tone[edit]

 

Line drawing in sanguine by Leonardo da Vinci

Shading is the technique of varying the tonal values on the paper to represent the shade of the material as well as the placement of the shadows. Careful attention to reflected light, shadows and highlights can result in a very realistic rendition of the image.

 

Blending uses an implement to soften or spread the original drawing strokes. Blending is most easily done with a medium that does not immediately fix itself, such as graphite, chalk, or charcoal, although freshly applied ink can be smudged, wet or dry, for some effects. For shading and blending, the artist can use a blending stump, tissue, a kneaded eraser, a fingertip, or any combination of them. A piece of chamois is useful for creating smooth textures, and for removing material to lighten the tone. Continuous tone can be achieved with graphite on a smooth surface without blending, but the technique is laborious, involving small circular or oval strokes with a somewhat blunt point.

 

Shading techniques that also introduce texture to the drawing include hatching and stippling. A number of other methods produce texture. In addition to the choice of paper, drawing material and technique affect texture. Texture can be made to appear more realistic when it is drawn next to a contrasting texture; a coarse texture is more obvious when placed next to a smoothly blended area. A similar effect can be achieved by drawing different tones close together. A light edge next to a dark background stands out to the eye, and almost appears to float above the surface.

 

Form and proportion[edit]

 

Pencil portrait by Ingres

Measuring the dimensions of a subject while blocking in the drawing is an important step in producing a realistic rendition of the subject. Tools such as a compass can be used to measure the angles of different sides. These angles can be reproduced on the drawing surface and then rechecked to make sure they are accurate. Another form of measurement is to compare the relative sizes of different parts of the subject with each other. A finger placed at a point along the drawing implement can be used to compare that dimension with other parts of the image. A ruler can be used both as a straightedge and a device to compute proportions.

 

When attempting to draw a complicated shape such as a human figure, it is helpful at first to represent the form with a set of primitive volumes. Almost any form can be represented by some combination of the cube, sphere, cylinder, and cone. Once these basic volumes have been assembled into a likeness, then the drawing can be refined into a more accurate and polished form. The lines of the primitive volumes are removed and replaced by the final likeness. Drawing the underlying construction is a fundamental skill for representational art, and is taught in many books and schools. Its correct application resolves most uncertainties about smaller details, and makes the final image look consistent.[26]

 

A more refined art of figure drawing relies upon the artist possessing a deep understanding of anatomy and the human proportions. A trained artist is familiar with the skeleton structure, joint location, muscle placement, tendon movement, and how the different parts work together during movement. This allows the artist to render more natural poses that do not appear artificially stiff. The artist is also familiar with how the proportions vary depending on the age of the subject, particularly when drawing a portrait.

 

Perspective[edit]

Linear perspective is a method of portraying objects on a flat surface so that the dimensions shrink with distance. Each set of parallel, straight edges of any object, whether a building or a table, follows lines that eventually converge at a vanishing point. Typically this convergence point is somewhere along the horizon, as buildings are built level with the flat surface. When multiple structures are aligned with each other, such as buildings along a street, the horizontal tops and bottoms of the structures typically converge at a vanishing point.

  

Two-point perspective drawing

When both the fronts and sides of a building are drawn, then the parallel lines forming a side converge at a second point along the horizon (which may be off the drawing paper.) This is a two-point perspective.[27] Converging the vertical lines to a third point above or below the horizon then produces a three-point perspective.

 

Depth can also be portrayed by several techniques in addition to the perspective approach above. Objects of similar size should appear ever smaller the further they are from the viewer. Thus the back wheel of a cart appears slightly smaller than the front wheel. Depth can be portrayed through the use of texture. As the texture of an object gets further away it becomes more compressed and busy, taking on an entirely different character than if it was close. Depth can also be portrayed by reducing the contrast in more distant objects, and by making their colors less saturated. This reproduces the effect of atmospheric haze, and cause the eye to focus primarily on objects drawn in the foreground.

 

Artistry[edit]

 

Chiaroscuro study drawing by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

The composition of the image is an important element in producing an interesting work of artistic merit. The artist plans element placement in the art to communicate ideas and feelings with the viewer. The composition can determine the focus of the art, and result in a harmonious whole that is aesthetically appealing and stimulating.

 

The illumination of the subject is also a key element in creating an artistic piece, and the interplay of light and shadow is a valuable method in the artist's toolbox. The placement of the light sources can make a considerable difference in the type of message that is being presented. Multiple light sources can wash out any wrinkles in a person's face, for instance, and give a more youthful appearance. In contrast, a single light source, such as harsh daylight, can serve to highlight any texture or interesting features.

 

When drawing an object or figure, the skilled artist pays attention to both the area within the silhouette and what lies outside. The exterior is termed the negative space, and can be as important in the representation as the figure. Objects placed in the background of the figure should appear properly placed wherever they can be viewed.

  

Drawing process in the Academic Study of a Male Torso by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1801, National Museum, Warsaw)

A study is a draft drawing that is made in preparation for a planned final image. Studies can be used to determine the appearances of specific parts of the completed image, or for experimenting with the best approach for accomplishing the end goal. However a well-crafted study can be a piece of art in its own right, and many hours of careful work can go into completing a study.

 

Process[edit]

Individuals display differences in their ability to produce visually accurate drawings.[28] A visually accurate drawing is described as being "recognized as a particular object at a particular time and in a particular space, rendered with little addition of visual detail that can not be seen in the object represented or with little deletion of visual detail”.[29]

 

Investigative studies have aimed to explain the reasons why some individuals draw better than others. One study posited four key abilities in the drawing process: perception of objects being drawn, ability to make good representational decisions, motor skills required for mark-making and the drawer's own perception of their drawing.[29] Following this hypothesis, several studies have sought to conclude which of these processes are most significant in affecting the accuracy of drawings.

 

Motor function Motor function is an important physical component in the 'Production Phase' of the drawing process.[30] It has been suggested that motor function plays a role in drawing ability, though its effects are not significant.[29]

 

Perception It has been suggested that an individual's ability to perceive an object they are drawing is the most important stage in the drawing process.[29] This suggestion is supported by the discovery of a robust relationship between perception and drawing ability.[31]

 

This evidence acted as the basis of Betty Edwards' how-to drawing book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.[32] Edwards aimed to teach her readers how to draw, based on the development of the reader's perceptual abilities.

 

Furthermore, the influential artist and art critic John Ruskin emphasised the importance of perception in the drawing process in his book The Elements of Drawing.[33] He stated that "For I am nearly convinced, that once we see keenly enough, there is very little difficult in drawing what we see".

 

Visual memory has also been shown to influence one's ability to create visually accurate drawings. Short-term memory plays an important part in drawing as one’s gaze shifts between the object they are drawing and the drawing itself.[34]

Includes Teams from Wagner/BH, Vermillion, Britton-Hecla, Stanley County West Central. Permission granted for journalism outlets and educational purposes. Not for commercial use. Must be credited. Photo courtesy of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

©2021 SDPB

 

A showery day in Alentejo, Portugal. A good day for selling umbrellas, perhaps.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum is a museum on the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Oświęcim Poland.

 

The site includes the main concentration camp at Auschwitz I and the remains of the concentration and extermination camp at Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Both were developed and run by Nazi Germany during its occupation of Poland in 1939–1945. The Polish government has preserved the site as a research centre and in memory of the 1.1 million people who died there, including 960,000 Jews, during World War II and the Holocaust. It became a World Heritage Site in 1979. Piotr Cywiński is the museum's director.

 

The museum was created in April 1946 by Tadeusz Wąsowicz and other former Auschwitz prisoners, acting under the direction of Poland's Ministry of Culture and Art. It was formally founded on 2 July 1947 by an act of the Polish parliament. The site consists of 20 hectares in Auschwitz I and 171 hectares in Auschwitz II, which lies about three kilometres from the main camp. Over 25 million people have visited the museum. From 1955 to 1990, the museum was directed by one of its founders and former inmates, Kazimierz Smoleń.

 

In 2019, 2,320,000 people visited the site, including visitors from Poland (at least 396,000), United Kingdom (200,000), United States (120,000), Italy (104,000), Germany (73,000), Spain (70,000), France (67,000), Israel (59,000), Ireland (42,000), and Sweden (40,000)

 

The first exhibition in the barracks opened in 1947. In Stalinist Poland, on the seventh anniversary of the first deportation of Polish captives to Auschwitz, the exhibition was revised with the assistance of former inmates. The exhibition was influenced by the Cold War and next to pictures of Jewish ghettos, photos of slums in the US were presented. After Stalin's death, a new exhibition was planned in 1955. In 1959, every nation that had victims in Auschwitz received the right to present its own exhibition. However, victims like homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Sinti and Roma, and Yeniche people did not receive these rights. The state of Israel was also refused the allowance for its own exhibition as the murdered Jews in Auschwitz were not citizens of Israel. In April 1968, the Jewish exhibition, designed by Andrzej Szczypiorski, was opened. In 1979, Pope John Paul II held a mass in Birkenau and called the camp a "Golgotha of our times".

 

In 1962, a prevention zone around the museum in Birkenau (and in 1977, one around the museum in Auschwitz) was established to maintain the historical condition of the camp. These zones were confirmed by the Polish parliament in 1999. In 1967, the first big memorial monument was inaugurated and in the 1990s the first information boards were set up.

 

Since 1960, the so-called "national exhibitions" have been located in Auschwitz I. Most of them were renewed from time to time; for example, those of Belgium, France, Hungary, Netherlands, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and the former Soviet Union. The German exhibition, which was made by the former GDR, has not been renewed.

 

The first national exhibition of the Soviet Union was opened in 1961 and renewed in 1977 and 1985. In 2003, the Russian organizing committee suggested presenting a completely new exhibition. The Soviet part of the museum was closed, but the reopening was delayed as there were differences in the questions of the territorial situation of the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1941. The question of the territories annexed by the USSR during the war, i.e. the Baltic countries, eastern Poland, and Moldova could not be solved. Yugoslav pavilion and exhibition, which memorialized Auschwitz victims primarily through their antifascist struggle, was opened in 1963. In 2002, Croatia, as one of Yugoslav successor states, notified the Auschwitz Memorial Museum that it wanted the Yugoslav exhibition dismantled and demanded permission to establish its own national exhibition. The museum rejected the proposal and notified all Yugoslav successor states that only a renovated joint exhibit would be appropriate. Since they failed to create a joint exhibition, the Yugoslav exhibition was closed down in 2009 and its contents were sent the Museum of Yugoslavia in Belgrade, while Block 17, which hosted the exhibition, remains empty.

 

In 1978, Austria opened its own exhibition, presenting itself as a victim of National Socialism. This one-sided view motivated[9] the Austrian political scientist Andreas Maislinger to work in the museum within the Action Reconciliation Service for Peace in 1980/81. Later he founded the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service. The Austrian federal president Rudolf Kirchschläger had advised Maislinger that as a young Austrian he did not need to atone for anything in Auschwitz. Due to this disapproving attitude of the official Austrian representation, the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service could not be launched before September 1992.

 

The museum has allowed scenes for four films to be filmed on the site: Pasażerka (1963) by Polish director Andrzej Munk, Landscape After the Battle (1970) by Polish director Andrzej Wajda, and a television miniseries, War and Remembrance (1988), and Denial (2016). Although the Polish government permitted the construction of film sets on its grounds to shoot scenes for Schindler's List (1993), Steven Spielberg chose to build a "replica" camp entrance outside the infamous archway for the scene in which the train arrives carrying the women who were saved by Oskar Schindler.

 

In 1979, the newly elected Polish Pope John Paul II celebrated mass on the grounds of Auschwitz II to some 500,000 people, and announced that Edith Stein would be beatified. Some Catholics erected a cross near Bunker 2 of Auschwitz II where she had been gassed. A short while later, a Star of David appeared at the site, leading to a proliferation of religious symbols, which were eventually removed.

 

Carmelite nuns opened a convent near Auschwitz I in 1984. After some Jewish groups called for the removal of the convent, representatives of the Catholic Church agreed in 1987. One year later, the Carmelites erected an 8 m (26 ft) tall cross from the 1979 mass near their site, just outside Block 11 and barely visible from within the camp. This led to protests by Jewish groups, who said that mostly Jews were killed at Auschwitz and demanded that religious symbols be kept away from the site. The Catholic Church told the Carmelites to move by 1989, but they stayed on until 1993, leaving the cross behind. In 1998, after further calls to remove the cross, some 300 smaller crosses were erected by local activists near the large one, leading to further protests and heated exchanges. Following an agreement between the Polish Catholic Church and the Polish government, the smaller crosses were removed in 1999, but a large papal one remains.

 

The 50th anniversary of the liberation ceremony was held in Auschwitz I in 1995. About a thousand ex-prisoners attended it. In 1996, Germany made January 27, the day of the liberation of Auschwitz, the official day for the commemoration of the victims of National Socialism. Countries that have also adopted similar memorial days include Denmark (Auschwitz Day), Italy (Memorial Day), and Poland (Memorial Day for the Victims of Nazism). A commemoration was held for the 70th anniversary of the liberation in 2015.

 

The larger part of the exhibitions are in the area of the former camp at Auschwitz I. Guided tours take around three hours, but access is possible without guides from 16 to 18:00 (as of 2019). This part is situated short of 2 km south of the train station at Oświęcim. From there, shuttle buses go to Auschwitz II, originally called KL Auschwitz-Birkenau, situated around 2 km to the north-west of Auschwitz I. As of 2019, trains from Vienna to Kraków, and from Prague to Krakow, stop at Oświęcim, where local trains from Katowice (around every one to two hours) from Krakow end. Local trains take around 100 minutes from Kraków.

 

The Polish Foreign Ministry has voiced objections to the use of the expression "Polish death camp" in relation to Auschwitz, in case the phrase suggested that Poland rather than Germany had perpetrated the Holocaust. In June 2007, the United Nations World Heritage Committee changed its own name for the site from "Auschwitz Concentration Camp" to "Auschwitz Birkenau", with the subtitle "German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940–1945)".

 

Early in the morning on 18 December 2009, the Arbeit macht frei ("work makes you free") sign over the gate of Auschwitz I was stolen. Police found the sign hidden in a forest outside Gdańsk two days later. The theft was organised by a Swedish former neo-Nazi, Anders Högström, who reportedly hoped to use proceeds from the sale of the sign to a collector of Nazi memorabilia to finance a series of terror attacks aimed at influencing voters in upcoming Swedish parliamentary elections. Högström was convicted in Poland and sentenced to serve two years, eight months in a Swedish prison, and five Polish men who had acted on his behalf served prison time in Poland.

 

Högström and his accomplices badly damaged the sign during the theft, cutting it into three pieces. Conservationists restored the sign to its original condition, and it currently is in storage, awaiting eventual display inside the museum. A replica hangs in its original place.

 

In February 2006, Poland refused to grant visas to Iranian researchers who were planning to visit Auschwitz. Polish Foreign Minister Stefan Meller said his country should stop Iran from investigating the scale of the Holocaust, which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has dismissed as a myth. Iran has recently tried to leave the Ahmadinejad rhetoric in the past, but President Rouhani has never refuted his predecessor's idea that the scale of the Holocaust is exaggerated. Holocaust denial is punishable in Poland by a prison sentence of up to three years.

 

Czechoslovakian Jew Dina Babbitt imprisoned at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1943–1945 painted a dozen portraits of Romani inmates for the war criminal Josef Mengele during his medical experiments. Seven of the original 12 studies were discovered after the Holocaust and purchased by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in 1963 from an Auschwitz survivor. The museum asked Babbitt to return to Poland in 1973 to identify her work. She did so but also requested that the museum allow her to take her paintings home with her. Officials from the museum led by Rabbi Andrew Baker stated that the portraits belonged to the SS and Mengele, who died in Brazil in 1979. There was an initiative to have the museum return the portraits in 1999, headed by the U.S. government petitioned by Rafael Medoff and 450 American comic book artists. The museum rejected these claims as legally groundless.

 

Auschwitz concentration camp was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschwitz I, the main camp (Stammlager) in Oświęcim; Auschwitz II-Birkenau, a concentration and extermination camp with gas chambers; Auschwitz III-Monowitz, a labour camp for the chemical conglomerate IG Farben; and dozens of subcamps. The camps became a major site of the Nazis' Final Solution to the Jewish question.

 

After Germany initiated World War II by invading Poland in September 1939, the Schutzstaffel (SS) converted Auschwitz I, an army barracks, into a prisoner-of-war camp. The initial transport of political detainees to Auschwitz consisted almost solely of Poles (for whom the camp was initially established). For the first two years, the majority of inmates were Polish. In May 1940, German criminals brought to the camp as functionaries established the camp's reputation for sadism. Prisoners were beaten, tortured, and executed for the most trivial of reasons. The first gassings—of Soviet and Polish prisoners—took place in block 11 of Auschwitz I around August 1941.

 

Construction of Auschwitz II began the following month, and from 1942 until late 1944 freight trains delivered Jews from all over German-occupied Europe to its gas chambers. Of the 1.3 million people sent to Auschwitz, 1.1 million were murdered. The number of victims includes 960,000 Jews (865,000 of whom were gassed on arrival), 74,000 non-Jewish Poles, 21,000 Romani, 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war, and up to 15,000 others. Those not gassed were murdered via starvation, exhaustion, disease, individual executions, or beatings. Others were killed during medical experiments.

 

At least 802 prisoners tried to escape, 144 successfully, and on 7 October 1944, two Sonderkommando units, consisting of prisoners who operated the gas chambers, launched an unsuccessful uprising. After the Holocaust ended, only 789 Schutzstaffel personnel (no more than 15 percent) ever stood trial. Several were executed, including camp commandant Rudolf Höss. The Allies' failure to act on early reports of mass murder by bombing the camp or its railways remains controversial.

 

As the Soviet Red Army approached Auschwitz in January 1945, toward the end of the war, the SS sent most of the camp's population west on a death march to camps inside Germany and Austria. Soviet troops entered the camp on 27 January 1945, a day commemorated since 2005 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In the decades after the war, survivors such as Primo Levi, Viktor Frankl, and Elie Wiesel wrote memoirs of their experiences, and the camp became a dominant symbol of the Holocaust. In 1947, Poland founded the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum on the site of Auschwitz I and II, and in 1979 it was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

 

Oświęcim is a city in the Lesser Poland (Polish: Małopolska) province of southern Poland, situated 33 kilometres (21 mi) southeast of Katowice, near the confluence of the Vistula (Wisła) and Soła rivers. The city is known internationally for being the site of the German Nazi-built Auschwitz concentration camp (the camp is also known as KL or KZ Auschwitz Birkenau) during World War II, when Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany.

 

Oświęcim has a rich history, which dates back to the early days of Polish statehood. It is one of the oldest castellan gords in Poland. Following the Fragmentation of Poland in 1138, Duke Casimir II the Just attached the town to the Duchy of Opole in c. 1179 for his younger brother Mieszko I Tanglefoot, Duke of Opole and Racibórz. The town was destroyed in 1241 during the Mongol invasion of Poland. Around 1272 the newly rebuilt Oświęcim was granted a municipal charter modeled on those of Lwówek Śląski (a Polish variation of the Magdeburg Law). The charter was confirmed on 3 September 1291. In 1281, the Land of Oświęcim became part of the newly established Duchy of Cieszyn, and in c. 1315, an independent Duchy of Oświęcim was established. In 1327, John I, Duke of Oświęcim joined his Duchy with the Duchy of Zator and, soon afterwards, his state became a vassal of the Kingdom of Bohemia, where it remained for over a century. In 1445, the Duchy was divided into three separate entities – the Duchies of Oświęcim, Zator and Toszek. In 1457 Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon bought the rights to Oświęcim. On 25 February 1564, King Sigismund II Augustus issued a bill integrating the former Duchies of Oświęcim and Zator into the Kingdom of Poland. Both lands were attached to the Kraków Voivodeship, forming the Silesian County. Before 1564, Oświęcim was semi-independent in Poland and enjoyed an extensive degree of autonomy, similarly to Royal Prussia. The town later became one of the centers of Jewish culture in Poland.

 

Like other towns of Lesser Poland, Oświęcim prospered in the period known as Polish Golden Age. This period came to an abrupt end in 1655, during the catastrophic Swedish invasion of Poland. Oświęcim was burned and afterward, the town declined, and in 1772 (see Partitions of Poland), it was annexed by the Habsburg Empire, as part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, where it remained until late 1918. After the 1815 Congress of Vienna, the town was close to the borders of both Russian-controlled Congress Poland, and the Kingdom of Prussia. In the 1866 war between Austria and the Prussian-led North German Confederation, a cavalry skirmish was fought at the town, in which an Austrian force defeated a Prussian incursion.

 

In the second half of the 19th century, Oświęcim became an important rail junction. During the same period, the town burned in several fires, such as the fire of 23 August 1863, when two-thirds of Oświęcim burned, including the town hall and two synagogues; a new town hall was built between 1872 and 1875. In another fire in 1881, the parish church, a school, and a hospital burned down. In 1910, Oświęcim became the seat of a starosta, and in 1917–18 a new district, Nowe Miasto, was founded. In 1915, a high school was opened. After World War I, the town became part of the Second Polish Republic's Kraków Voivodeship (Województwo Krakowskie). Until 1932, Oświęcim was the seat of a county, but on 1 April 1932, the County of Oświęcim was divided between the County of Wadowice, and the County of Biała Krakowska.

 

There were approximately 8,000 Jews in the city on the eve of World War II, comprising less than half the population. The Nazis annexed the area to Germany in October 1939 in the Gau of Upper Silesia, which became part of the "second Ruhr" by 1944.

 

In 1940, Nazi Germany used forced labor to build a new subdivision to house Auschwitz guards and staff, and built a large chemical plant of IG Farben in 1941 on the eastern outskirts of the town. Polish residents of several districts were forced to abandon their houses, as the Germans wanted to keep the area empty around Auschwitz concentration camp. They planned a 40 square kilometres (15 sq mi) buffer zone around the camp, and they expelled Polish residents in two stages in 1940 and 1941. All the residents of the Zasole district were forced to abandon their homes. In the Pławy and Harmęże districts, more than 90 percent of the buildings were destroyed and the residents of Pławy were transported to Gorlice to fend for themselves. Altogether, some 17,000 people in Oświęcim itself and surrounding villages were forced to leave their homes, eight villages were wiped off the map, and the population of Oświęcim shrank to 7,600 by April 1941.

 

The communist soviet Red Army re-invaded the town and liberated the camp on 27 January 1945, and then opened two of their own temporary camps for German prisoners of war in the complex of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Auschwitz Soviet camp existed until autumn 1945, and the Birkenau camp lasted until spring 1946. Some 15,000 Germans were interned there. Furthermore, there was a camp of Communist secret police (Urząd Bezpieczeństwa) near the rail station in the complex of former "Gemeinschaftslager". Its prisoners were members of the NSDAP, Hitlerjugend, and BDM, as well as German civilians, the Volksdeutsche, and Upper Silesians who were disloyal to Poland.

 

After World War II

After the territorial changes of Poland immediately after World War II, new housing complexes in the town were developed with large buildings of rectangular and concrete constructions. The chemical industry became the main employer of the town and in later years, the service industry and trade were added. The many visits to the concentration camp memorial sites have become an important source of income for the town's businesses. After the end of communism, by the mid-1990s, employment at the chemical works (named Firma Chemiczna Dwory SA from 1997 to 2007, Synthos SA since then) had dropped from 10,000 in the communist era to only 1,500 people. In 1952, the County of Oświęcim was re-created, and the town until 1975 belonged to Kraków Voivodeship. In 1975–1999, it was part of Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship. In 1979, Oświęcim was visited by Pope John Paul II, and on 1 September 1980, a local Solidarity office was created at the chemical plant. On 28 May 2006, the town was visited by Pope Benedict XVI.

 

Poland officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative voivodeship provinces, covering an area of 312,696 km2 (120,733 sq mi). Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union. Warsaw is the nation's capital and largest metropolis. Other major cities include Kraków, Wrocław, Łódź, Poznań, and Gdańsk.

 

Poland has a temperate transitional climate, and its territory traverses the Central European Plain, extending from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south. The longest Polish river is the Vistula, and Poland's highest point is Mount Rysy, situated in the Tatra mountain range of the Carpathians. The country is bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukraine to the east, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south, and Germany to the west. It also shares maritime boundaries with Denmark and Sweden.

 

Prehistoric human activity on Polish soil dates to the Lower Paleolithic, with continuous settlement since the end of the Last Glacial Period. Culturally diverse throughout late antiquity, in the early medieval period the region became inhabited by the tribal Polans, who gave Poland its name. The process of establishing proper statehood, which began in 966, coincided with the conversion of a pagan ruler of the Polans to Christianity, under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church. The Kingdom of Poland emerged in 1025, and in 1569 cemented its long-standing association with Lithuania, thus forming the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. At the time, the Commonwealth was one of the great powers of Europe, with a uniquely liberal political system which adopted Europe's first modern constitution in 1791.

 

With the passing of the prosperous Polish Golden Age, the country was partitioned by neighbouring states at the end of the 18th century. Poland regained its independence in 1918 as the Second Polish Republic and successfully defended it in the Polish–Soviet War from 1919 to 1921. In September 1939, the invasion of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union marked the beginning of World War II, which resulted in the Holocaust and millions of Polish casualties. As a member of the Eastern Bloc in the global Cold War, the Polish People's Republic was a founding signatory of the Warsaw Pact. Through the emergence and contributions of the Solidarity movement, the communist government was dissolved and Poland re-established itself as a democratic state in 1989.

 

Poland is a parliamentary republic, with its bicameral legislature comprising the Sejm and the Senate. It is a developed market and a high-income economy. Considered a middle power, Poland has the sixth-largest economy in the European Union by GDP (nominal) and the fifth-largest by GDP (PPP). It provides a very high standard of living, safety, and economic freedom, as well as free university education and a universal health care system. The country has 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 15 of which are cultural. Poland is a founding member state of the United Nations, as well as a member of the World Trade Organization, OECD, NATO, and the European Union (including the Schengen Area).

Will include a coloured version in the comment later...(slightly grainy mono suited the subject imo).

Now we head for a picnic in the forest with my parents... :) May pass the same path here... :)

June has got off to a good start weatherwise - fair weather cloud over this rolling field this evening, after another fine sunny day

Includes Legacy Mesh Body appliers and BOM appliers!

 

A pair of short shorts in 16 colors, perfect under short dresses and skirts or even on it's own, enjoy! ♥

 

marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Aetron-Short-Shorts-Hud-Lega...

 

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Each product includes multicolor HUD and is compatible with Belleza, Maitreya, Legacy, Slink mesh bodies only.

 

Individual colors are not sold separately.

 

{Le'La} Charlotte Dress

Maitreya Lara

Doux Pammy

Low tide and a low sun brought out the textures on Shoreham Beach this evening.

A sunny, breezy day on the coast - bringing out the wind and kite surfers

Woden sculptures in Castle de Haar , Kasteel de Haar near the suburb of Vleuten that includes village of Haarzuilen rebuild by architect Pierre Cuyper Project was finished in around 1912 took 20 years to be finished , Martin’s photograph , Utrecht , the Netherlands , June 5. 2019

 

Wooden sculptures

Fireplace with beautiful screen and mantel

Beautiful formal gardens with piramide shaped trees

Beautiful staircase

Beautiful staircase in castle , Kasteel de Haar

Staircase

Formal gardens

Stairway critters sculptures in Castle

Stairway sculptures

Spiral stairway

Central Station in Amsterdam , build by architect Pierre Cuyper

de Rijks Museum in Amsterdam build by architect Pierre Cuyper

de Rijks Museum in Amsterdam

Central Station in Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Lavet bad tub

Lavet bad tub and washing machine

main door

Beautiful staircase

Kasteel de Haar near the suburb of Vleuten that includes village of Haarzuilen

architect Pierre Cuyper

Martin’s photograph

Utrecht

the Netherlands

Nederland

June 2019

Favourites

IPhone 6

Village of Haarzuilen

Kasteel de Haar

Castle the Haar

Kasteel de Haar was rebuild by architect Pierre Cuyper Project was finished in around 1912 took 20 years to be finished

city of Utrecht in the province Utrecht

Beautiful staircase in Kasteel de Haar

Door knocker

Beautiful window and seating

Stairway critters sculptures in Castle

Stairway sculptures

Spiral stairway

Stairway sculptures

WiP. Includes 6 speed gearbox with linkage, V8, independent suspension. More info and pics at: nkubate.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=...

Coming soon. A limited edition gown. The set includes the gown and slink high shoes, an emitter hud with snow or frost options and a Talking AO that gives off sparkles with a gentle tinkling sound when typing in world. The gown and shoes both have ghee's sparkling animation as well as glimmer. The bodice and arms are surrounded by multiple tiny snowflakes that float just above the skin with a twinkling animation and a gentle glow. Only 20 will be available. 12 will be sold for Relay For Life 100% donation. The remaining 8 will be sold at the event as well with 100% going to the designer. Let it gooooooo! Let it gooooo! Well...you get the picture...

Edwardian racers at the 74th Members' Meeting, Goodwood, 2016

INCLUDES:

 

-The Verismallé Twins

-Crated Loot

-Heavy Machine Gun

-An Old Man With a Brolly

Wonderful to watch these birds in the early morning as they proclaim their territory with a 'mocking' song that includes extracts from most of the other birds around including the Woodpecker, Kestrel, Grackle, Kingbird et al.

Includes 5 Poses, 1 Back Ground with poses built in, Prop for each image.

 

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This is #23 in an August photo-a-day project that includes a random challenge each day. Today's challenge... "Pair"

From a tree in Buckingham Park. The chestnuts were numerous but to my eye the nuts look very small and flat - a lack of water perhaps.

Plenty of Beautiful Demoiselles at Woods Mill on Sunday,

includes projects for handpuppets, a hat, rattle, bags, shoes, cushions, accessories, and more cute things. 23 projects total.

 

all written instructions are in japanese, but there are clear diagrams and step by step photos for the different kinds of projects, and lovely images of the finished works.

 

both needle and wet felting projects are included, some projects combine both techniques.

 

this is a good book for someone who already understands the basics of felting. if you know how to felt around a flat resist, the wet felting projects should be no problem.

 

71 pages

ISBN 4-309-28073-0

Includes the Orion Nebula (M42/3), the Running Man Nebula (NGC 1977), the Christmas Tree Nebula (NGC 2024) and of course the Horsehead Nebula.

Due to the frequent showers earlier in the evening I was reluctant to set up the telescope, so this was the first time I'd used a telephoto lens (135mm) with the Vixen Polarie star tracker.

12 x 1-min exposures, ISO 3200, f/3.5. Modified EOS 600D & Zeiss Jena 135mm, on a Vixen Polarie for tracking.

Images registered and stacked using Deep Sky Stacker software. Initial curves adjusted in Canon Photo Professional; final curves & colour-balance adjusted using Paint Shop Pro; noise reduction via CyberLink PhotoDirector.

A View of the Tetons from the Shane Cabin

 

Enjoy - Happy Shooting

 

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My photos are posted for your enjoyment. Please do not use them in any way without my permission. No Unauthorized Use. No permission is granted in any form, fashion or way, digital or otherwise, to use my images on blogs, personal or professional websites or any other media form without my direct written permission. This includes but is not limited to Pinterest, Tumblr, Reddit,Facebook or other websites where one's images are circulated without the photographer's knowledge

  

A high-contrast photograph purposefully includes strongly contrasting elements. In black-and-white photography, a high-contrast shot will have relatively few gray tones, but lots of strong blacks and whites.

 

Aside from in-camera settings and lighting technique, the best way to boost the contrast of your images is to choose subjects and compose shots in such a way that maximizes their contrasting elements. If this sounds difficult, that's because it is. The artful balancing of contrasting photographic elements takes more than a sharp eye; it also requires years of practice.

 

When you first look at an image, whether it's a painting, charcoal sketch or photograph, notice how your eyes focus directly on the point of greatest contrast. In a black-and-white photo, that point of greatest contrast will be where the lightest and darkest elements converge. To create a truly striking black and white photo, the point of greatest contrast should also be the subject of the shot.

 

"The Kiss" is easily one of the most celebrated and contested photos in America's historical album. Taken by Life magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt on Aug. 14, 1945, the iconic shot of young a sailor kissing a nurse all in white in the middle of Times Square captured the nation's collective relief and elation on the day Japan's surrender ended World War II.

 

www.cbsnews.com/news/science-debunks-wwii-kiss-photo-coup...

  

Trust me it harder to do than you think.

 

Candid street shot Branscombe, Devon, UK.

"Manner (German pronunciation: [ˈmanɐ]) is a line of confectionery from the Austrian conglomerate, Josef Manner & Comp AG. The corporation, founded in 1890, produces a wide assortment of confectionery products. These include wafers, long-life confectionery, chocolate-based confectionery, sweets, cocoa and a variety of seasonal products.

 

The company's best-known product are the "Neapolitan wafers", introduced in 1898. They are sold in blocks of ten 47 x 17 x 17 mm hazelnut-cream filled wafers. The hazelnuts were originally imported from the Naples region in Italy, hence the name. The basic recipe has remained unchanged to this day.

 

The company logo is a picture of St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. This dates to the 1890s, when Josef Manner opened his first shop next to the Cathedral. The Archdiocese of Vienna and the Manner Company agreed that the company may use the cathedral in its logo in return for funding the wages of one stonemason performing repair work on the structure.

 

The Stephansplatz is a square at the geographical centre of Vienna. It is named after its most prominent building, the Stephansdom, Vienna's cathedral and one of the tallest churches in the world. Before the 20th century, a row of houses separated Stephansplatz from Stock-im-Eisen-Platz, but since their destruction, the name Stephansplatz started to be used for the wider area covering both. To the west and south, respectively, run the exclusive shopping streets Graben (literally "ditch") and Kärntner Straße ("Kärnten" is the German for Carinthia). Opposite the Stephansdom is the Haas-Haus, a piece of striking modern architecture by Hans Hollein. Although public opinion was originally skeptical about the combination of the mediaeval cathedral and the glass and steel building, it is now considered an example of how old and new architecture can mix harmoniously.

 

The Stock-im-Eisen ("staff in iron") is located at the corner of Kärntner Straße and Graben in a niche on the corner of the Palais Equitable. It is a section of tree trunk into which hundreds of nails have been hammered since the Middle Ages, and which is ringed by an iron band closed by a large padlock. The earliest written mention of it dates to 1533 and it is the subject of legends about the Devil.

 

Vienna (/viˈɛnə/; German: Wien [viːn]) is the national capital, largest city, and one of nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's most populous city, with about 1.9 million inhabitants (2.6 million within the metropolitan area, nearly one third of the country's population), and its cultural, economic, and political center. It is the 6th-largest city by population within city limits in the European Union.

 

Until the beginning of the 20th century, Vienna was the largest German-speaking city in the world, and before the splitting of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I, the city had 2 million inhabitants. Today, it is the second-largest German-speaking city after Berlin. Vienna is host to many major international organizations, including the United Nations, OPEC and the OSCE. The city is located in the eastern part of Austria and is close to the borders of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. These regions work together in a European Centrope border region. Along with nearby Bratislava, Vienna forms a metropolitan region with 3 million inhabitants. In 2001, the city center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In July 2017 it was moved to the list of World Heritage in Danger. Additionally to being known as the "City of Music" due to its musical legacy, as many famous classical musicians such as Beethoven and Mozart who called Vienna home. Vienna is also said to be the "City of Dreams", because of it being home to the world's first psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Vienna's ancestral roots lie in early Celtic and Roman settlements that transformed into a Medieval and Baroque city. It is well known for having played a pivotal role as a leading European music center, from the age of Viennese Classicism through the early part of the 20th century. The historic center of Vienna is rich in architectural ensembles, including Baroque palaces and gardens, and the late-19th-century Ringstraße lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks.

 

Vienna is known for its high quality of life. In a 2005 study of 127 world cities, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked the city first (in a tie with Vancouver and San Francisco) for the world's most livable cities. Between 2011 and 2015, Vienna was ranked second, behind Melbourne. In 2018, it replaced Melbourne as the number one spot and continued as the first in 2019. For ten consecutive years (2009–2019), the human-resource-consulting firm Mercer ranked Vienna first in its annual "Quality of Living" survey of hundreds of cities around the world. Monocle's 2015 "Quality of Life Survey" ranked Vienna second on a list of the top 25 cities in the world "to make a base within." The UN-Habitat classified Vienna as the most prosperous city in the world in 2012/2013. The city was ranked 1st globally for its culture of innovation in 2007 and 2008, and sixth globally (out of 256 cities) in the 2014 Innovation Cities Index, which analyzed 162 indicators in covering three areas: culture, infrastructure, and markets. Vienna regularly hosts urban planning conferences and is often used as a case study by urban planners. Between 2005 and 2010, Vienna was the world's number-one destination for international congresses and conventions. It attracts over 6.8 million tourists a year.

 

Evidence has been found of continuous habitation in the Vienna area since 500 BC, when Celts settled the site on the Danube. In 15 BC the Romans fortified the frontier city they called Vindobona to guard the empire against Germanic tribes to the north.

 

Close ties with other Celtic peoples continued through the ages. The Irish monk Saint Colman (or Koloman, Irish Colmán, derived from colm "dove") is buried in Melk Abbey and Saint Fergil (Virgil the Geometer) served as Bishop of Salzburg for forty years. Irish Benedictines founded twelfth-century monastic settlements; evidence of these ties persists in the form of Vienna's great Schottenstift monastery (Scots Abbey), once home to many Irish monks.

 

In 976, Leopold I of Babenberg became count of the Eastern March, a district centered on the Danube on the eastern frontier of Bavaria. This initial district grew into the duchy of Austria. Each succeeding Babenberg ruler expanded the march east along the Danube, eventually encompassing Vienna and the lands immediately east. In 1145 Duke Henry II Jasomirgott moved the Babenberg family residence from Klosterneuburg in Lower Austria to Vienna. From that time, Vienna remained the center of the Babenberg dynasty.

 

In 1440 Vienna became the resident city of the Habsburg dynasty. It eventually grew to become the de facto capital of the Holy Roman Empire (800–1806) in 1437 and a cultural center for arts and science, music and fine cuisine. Hungary occupied the city between 1485 and 1490.

 

In the 16th and 17th centuries Christian forces twice stopped Ottoman armies outside Vienna, in the 1529 Siege of Vienna and the 1683 Battle of Vienna. The Great Plague of Vienna ravaged the city in 1679, killing nearly a third of its population.

 

In 1804, during the Napoleonic Wars, Vienna became the capital of the newly formed Austrian Empire. The city continued to play a major role in European and world politics, including hosting the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, Vienna remained the capital of what became the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The city functioned as a center of classical music, for which the title of the First Viennese School (Haydn/Mozart/Beethoven) is sometimes applied.

 

During the latter half of the 19th century, Vienna developed what had previously been the bastions and glacis into the Ringstraße, a new boulevard surrounding the historical town and a major prestige project. Former suburbs were incorporated, and the city of Vienna grew dramatically. In 1918, after World War I, Vienna became capital of the Republic of German-Austria, and then in 1919 of the First Republic of Austria.

 

From the late-19th century to 1938 the city remained a center of high culture and of modernism. A world capital of music, Vienna played host to composers such as Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler and Richard Strauss. The city's cultural contributions in the first half of the 20th century included, among many, the Vienna Secession movement in art, psychoanalysis, the Second Viennese School (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern), the architecture of Adolf Loos and the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein and the Vienna Circle. In 1913 Adolf Hitler, Leon Trotsky, Josip Broz Tito, Sigmund Freud and Joseph Stalin all lived within a few kilometres of each other in central Vienna, some of them becoming regulars at the same coffeehouses. Austrians came to regard Vienna as a center of socialist politics, sometimes referred to as "Red Vienna"(“Das rote Wien”). In the Austrian Civil War of 1934 Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss sent the Austrian Army to shell civilian housing such as the Karl Marx-Hof occupied by the socialist militia." - info from Wikipedia.

 

Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.

 

Now on Instagram.

 

Become a patron to my photography on Patreon.

The Wigwam Motels, also known as the "Wigwam Villages," is a motel chain in the United States built during the 1930s and 1940s. The rooms are built in the form of tipis, mistakenly referred to as wigwams. It originally had seven different locations: two locations in Kentucky and one each in Alabama, Florida, Arizona, Louisiana, and California.

 

They are very distinctive historic landmarks. Two of the three surviving motels are located on historic U.S. Route 66: in Holbrook, Arizona, and in San Bernardino, California. All three of the surviving motels are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Wigwam Motel in Cave City, Kentucky, was listed in 1988 under the official designation of Wigwam Village #2; the Wigwam Motel in Arizona was listed as Wigwam Village #6 in 2002; and the Wigwam Motel in California was listed in 2012 as Wigwam Village #7.

 

Frank A. Redford developed the Village after adding tipi-shaped motel units around a museum-shop he had built to house his collection of Native American artifacts. He applied for a patent on the ornamental design of the buildings on December 17, 1935, and was granted Design Patent 98,617 on February 18, 1936. The original drawing includes the swastika, at the time a symbol associated with Native Americans or often worn as a good-luck charm.

 

Seven Wigwam Villages were built between 1933 and 1949.

 

Wigwam villages

Wigwam Village#1 in Horse Cave, Kentucky (1979)

The first Wigwam Village was built in 1933 by Frank A. Redford. It was located on the corner of US-31E and Hwy 218 in Horse Cave, Kentucky.

 

The central building and gas pumps are visible on undated postcards. Six more wigwams were built to be used as guest rooms.

 

Village #1 closed in 1935 when the nearby Wigwam Village #2 was opened, but operated under different names until it was eventually abandoned; it was razed in 1982.

 

Village #2: Cave City, Kentucky

Wigwam Village #2 was built in 1937 on U.S. Route 31W[6] in Cave City, Kentucky, close to Mammoth Cave National Park and a few miles south of the original Wigwam Village #1. The address is 601 North Dixie Hwy, Cave City, Kentucky. ( 37°08'43.0"N, 85°56'43.8"W )

 

It consists of 15 wigwams used as guest rooms that are arranged in a semicircle. In the center is a much bigger concrete and steel central structure that originally served as a restaurant, plus a common area with playground, recreation space, and pavilion. Each wigwam has a paved pad to accommodate one car. The restaurant is no longer in operation, but the motel is still open.

 

The diameter at the base of each tipi is 14 feet (4.3 m), and they are 32 feet (9.8 m) in height. Behind the main room of each unit is a small bathroom with sink, toilet, and shower. In 2008, the rooms contain the original restored hickory furniture and a window-mounted air conditioner. There are no telephones to maintain the original atmosphere of the motel, but the rooms do have cable TV and internet access.

 

Wigwam Village #2 is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It achieved this status on March 16, 1988.

 

Village #3: New Orleans, Louisiana

This wigwam village was built in 1940, on U.S. Route 61 in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana. It included a restaurant, cocktail bar, souvenir shop, and Esso service station. Village #3 went out of business in 1954, leaving little documentation behind.

 

Village #4: Orlando, Florida

Wigwam Village #4 was built in 1948, and was located at 700 S. Orange Blossom Trail. The builder, Jerry Kinsley, later served as mayor of Edgewood, Florida.

 

This relatively large wigwam village consisted of 27 guest rooms, each in a separate wigwam constructed to resemble a horseshoe shape, with four additional wigwams, likely housing offices and a restaurant. A pool was located in the middle of the lot. Village #4 claimed to be "Orlando's largest and finest Motel."

 

Village #4 was razed in 1974, and replaced with a Days Inn. The only part of the original design that survived was the swimming pool. An attempt to save some of the tipis by using a helicopter to airlift them to a YMCA Summer Camp failed, as they were too heavy to move. A 330-room Vacation Lodge now sits on the site.

 

Village #5: Bessemer, Alabama

The Wigwam Village #5 was built in 1940 in Bessemer, Alabama. It was located 4 miles (6.4 km) north of downtown Bessemer, on U.S. Route 11, and included 15 guest cabins, arranged in a semicircle around the restaurant, restrooms, and offices. Rather than the steel, lath, and plaster of Redford's original design, the Village #5 structures were made of steel, wood, and felt, then covered in canvas and treated with linseed oil.

 

Village #5 went out of business in 1964, and was demolished after falling into ruin, although the restaurant reportedly stood until 1970.

 

Village #6: Holbrook, Arizona

Arizona motel owner Chester E. Lewis built this Wigwam Village in 1950. It is located on the historic Route 66, at 811 West Hopi Drive in Holbrook, Arizona. Nearby places of interest include Petrified Forest National Park, Meteor Crater (Barringer Crater), and the Grand Canyon.

 

The plans for this motel were based on the original of Frank A. Redford. Lewis first became aware of the distinctive wigwam designs when passing through Cave City in 1938. He purchased the rights to Redford's design, as well as the right to use the name "Wigwam Village," in a novel royalty agreement: coin-operated radios would be installed in Lewis's Wigwam Village, and every dime inserted for 30 minutes of play would be sent to Redford as payment.

 

The motel is arranged as a square, with 15 concrete and steel wigwams on three sides and the main office on the fourth, flanked by two smaller sized wigwams; there was also originally a gas station on the complex. The individual units are called "wigwams," not "rooms" or "tepees" or "cabins." The units are numbered from 1 to 16, (there is no 13). The base diameter is 14 feet (4.3 m), with each unit 32 feet (9.8 m) in height. Behind the main room of each unit is a small bathroom with sink, toilet and shower. Current rooms contain the original restored hickory furniture, two double beds, satellite TV and a window-mounted air conditioner. In keeping with the authenticity of the restoration, there are no telephones or ice machine. Vintage restored automobiles from the 1960s and earlier are located throughout the parking area. Small green metal benches etched with the words "Wigwam Village #6" are scattered throughout the complex as well.

 

Lewis operated the motel until closing it in 1974 when Interstate 40 bypassed downtown Holbrook. Two years after his death in 1986, sons Clifton and Paul Lewis and daughter Elinor renovated the motel before reopening it in 1988.

 

The Lewis family continues to run and maintain Wigwam Village #6. Near the registration desk is a small room that contains much of Chester Lewis's memorabilia, including a collection of petrified wood.

 

Wigwam Village #6 has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since May 2, 2002.

 

Village #7: Rialto/San Bernardino, California

Frank Redford built this complex for himself in 1947–49 and not as a franchise. The address of the motel is Rialto, California, but the motel is physically located in San Bernardino. It is on the boundary between the two cities on historic Route 66, with an address of 2728 East Foothill Boulevard, Rialto, California.

 

Unlike the one arch of wigwams in other surviving villages, Village #7 has a double row of wigwam guest rooms. They total 20 in number, as well as a base for what seems to be another never-completed wigwam in the back of the property. A central building is currently used as an office, with a lobby that is open 24 hours a day. There is also a swimming pool, a large grass front and palm trees surround the property.

 

The property had become very run down and rooms were rented by the hour, aggravated by a sign advertising "Do it in a Tee Pee" that is still on site in the back. The complex underwent renovation, for which the National Historic Route 66 Federation awarded the Cyrus Avery Award in 2005. Attention to detail was the main focus during renovation, as the wigwams lost their zigzag pattern.

 

Since 2012, the motel has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

The Tee Pee Motel in Wharton, Texas near Houston, which was built in 1942 by George and Toppie Belcher; George Belcher had the idea while on vacation in Wyoming. It is not of the same design nor heritage as the Wigwam Motels; each of the tipis at the Tee Pee Motel are of different shapes, and line up in a straight line. The Belchers sold the motel in 1955, and it had been in disrepair for decades. A man named Dan Ryan bought it in 1995, but subsequent attempts to locate him failed, and the taxes on the property weren't paid. Then, in July 2003, Bryon Woods, a diesel mechanic, won the Texas Lottery. At his wife's urging, Woods bought the property. Modern conveniences were added, and the Tee Pee Motel reopened for business in October 2006. In March 2012 the motel was the site of a large drugs seizure. It closed in 2017, due to flood damage from Hurricane Harvey.

 

Similar motels also stood in San Antonio, Port Neches, and Corsicana, Texas.

 

The motels and their imitators have been parodied many times. Rockstar's 2004 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game contains a Tee Pee Motel. In the 2006 Pixar film Cars, one of the characters Sally Carrera runs a "newly refurbished" neon-lit motel that is clearly inspired by Wigwam Village #6. The motel is called the Cozy Cone Motel, and each room is fashioned as a traffic cone.

 

In 2012 a digitally altered image of Wigwam Village #6 appeared in an advertisement for Microtel Inn and Suites.

 

Wigwam number 1 of the Holbrook, Arizona, Wigwam Village #6 was featured in the second episode of Oprah and Gayle's Big Adventures on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

 

Wigwam Village #6 is featured in the 1991 movie The Dark Wind, based on the 1982 Tony Hillerman novel of the same name.

 

Wigwam Village #7 is featured in Bobcat Goldthwait's 2011 black comedy film God Bless America. Joan Didion mentions #7 in her essay "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream" in her book, Slouching Toward Bethlehem.

 

Arizona is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States. Arizona is part of the Four Corners region with Utah to the north, Colorado to the northeast, and New Mexico to the east; its other neighboring states are Nevada to the northwest, California to the west and the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California to the south and southwest. It is the 6th-largest and the 14th-most-populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix.

 

Arizona is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union, achieving statehood on February 14, 1912. Historically part of the territory of Alta California and Nuevo México in New Spain, it became part of independent Mexico in 1821. After being defeated in the Mexican–American War, Mexico ceded much of this territory to the United States in 1848, where the area became part of the territory of New Mexico. The southernmost portion of the state was acquired in 1853 through the Gadsden Purchase.

 

Southern Arizona is known for its desert climate, with very hot summers and mild winters. Northern Arizona features forests of pine, Douglas fir, and spruce trees; the Colorado Plateau; mountain ranges (such as the San Francisco Mountains); as well as large, deep canyons, with much more moderate summer temperatures and significant winter snowfalls. There are ski resorts in the areas of Flagstaff, Sunrise, and Tucson. In addition to the internationally known Grand Canyon National Park, which is one of the world's seven natural wonders, there are several national forests, national parks, and national monuments.

 

Arizona's population and economy have grown dramatically since the 1950s because of inward migration, and the state is now a major hub of the Sun Belt. Cities such as Phoenix and Tucson have developed large, sprawling suburban areas. Many large companies, such as PetSmart and Circle K, have headquarters in the state, and Arizona is home to major universities, including the University of Arizona and Arizona State University. The state is known for a history of conservative politicians such as Barry Goldwater and John McCain, though it has become a swing state since the 1990s.

 

Arizona is home to a diverse population. About one-quarter of the state is made up of Indian reservations that serve as the home of 27 federally recognized Native American tribes, including the Navajo Nation, the largest in the state and the United States, with more than 300,000 citizens. Since the 1980s, the proportion of Hispanics in the state's population has grown significantly owing to migration from Mexico. A substantial portion of the population are followers of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 

The history of Arizona encompasses the Paleo-Indian, Archaic, Post-Archaic, Spanish, Mexican, and American periods. About 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, Paleo-Indians settled in what is now Arizona. A few thousand years ago, the Ancestral Puebloan, the Hohokam, the Mogollon and the Sinagua cultures inhabited the state. However, all of these civilizations mysteriously disappeared from the region in the 15th and 16th centuries. Today, countless ancient ruins can be found in Arizona. Arizona was part of the state of Sonora, Mexico from 1822, but the settled population was small. In 1848, under the terms of the Mexican Cession the United States took possession of Arizona above the Gila River after the Mexican War, and became part of the Territory of New Mexico. By means of the Gadsden Purchase, the United States secured the northern part of the state of Sonora, which is now Arizona south of the Gila River in 1854.

 

In 1863, Arizona was split off from the Territory of New Mexico to form the Arizona Territory. The remoteness of the region was eased by the arrival of railroads in 1880. Arizona became a state in 1912 but was primarily rural with an economy based on cattle, cotton, citrus, and copper. Dramatic growth came after 1945, as retirees and young families who appreciated the warm weather and low costs emigrated from the Northeast and Midwest.

 

In the Mexican–American War, the garrison commander avoided conflict with Lieutenant Colonel Cooke and the Mormon Battalion, withdrawing while the Americans marched through the town on their way to California. In the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848), Mexico ceded to the U.S. the northern 70% of modern-day Arizona above the Sonora border along the Gila River. During the California Gold Rush, an upwards of 50,000 people traveled through on the Southern Emigrant Trail pioneered by Cooke, to reach the gold fields in 1849. The Pima Villages often sold fresh food and provided relief to distressed travelers among this throng and to others in subsequent years.

 

Paleo-Indians settled what is now Arizona around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. According to most archaeologists, the Paleo-Indians initially followed herds of big game—megafauna such as mammoths, mastodons, and bison—into North America. The traveling groups also collected and utilized a wide variety of smaller game animals, fish, and a wide variety of plants. These people were likely characterized by highly mobile bands of approximately 20 or 50 members of an extended family, moving from place to place as resources were depleted and additional supplies needed. Paleoindian groups were efficient hunters and created and carried a variety of tools, some highly specialized, for hunting, butchering and hide processing. These paleolithic people utilized the environment that they lived in near water sources, including rivers, swamps and marshes, which had an abundance of fish, and drew birds and game animals. Big game, including bison, mammoths and ground sloths, also were attracted to these water sources. At the latest by 9500 BCE, bands of hunters wandered as far south as Arizona, where they found a desert grassland and hunted mule deer, antelope and other small mammals.

 

As populations of larger game began to diminish, possibly as a result of intense hunting and rapid environmental changes, Late Paleoindian groups would come to rely more on other facets of their subsistence pattern, including increased hunting of bison, mule deer and antelope. Nets and the atlatl to hunt water fowl, ducks, small animals and antelope. Hunting was especially important in winter and spring months when plant foods were scarce.

 

The Archaic time frame is defined culturally as a transition from a hunting/gathering lifestyle to one involving agriculture and permanent, if only seasonally occupied, settlements. In the Southwest, the Archaic is generally dated from 8000 years ago to approximately 1800 to 2000 years ago. During this time the people of the southwest developed a variety of subsistence strategies, all using their own specific techniques. The nutritive value of weed and grass seeds was discovered and flat rocks were used to grind flour to produce gruels and breads. This use of grinding slabs in about 7500 BCE marks the beginning of the Archaic tradition. Small bands of people traveled throughout the area, gathering plants such as cactus fruits, mesquite beans, acorns, and pine nuts and annually establishing camps at collection points.

 

Late in the Archaic Period, corn, probably introduced into the region from central Mexico, was planted near camps with permanent water access. Distinct types of corn have been identified in the more well-watered highlands and the desert areas, which may imply local mutation or successive introduction of differing species. Emerging domesticated crops also included beans and squash.

 

About 3,500 years ago, climate change led to changing patterns in water sources, leading to a dramatically decreased population. However, family-based groups took shelter in south facing caves and rock overhangs within canyon walls. Occasionally, these people lived in small semisedentary hamlets in open areas. Evidence of significant occupation has been found in the northern part of Arizona.

 

In the Post-Archaic period, the Ancestral Puebloan, the Hohokam, the Mogollon and Sinagua cultures inhabited what is now Arizona. These cultures built structures made out of stone. Some of the structures that these cultures built are called pueblos. Pueblos are monumental structures that housed dozens to thousands of people. In some Ancestral Puebloan towns and villages, Hohokam towns and villages, Mogollon towns and villages, and Sinagua towns and villages, the pueblo housed the entire town. Surrounding the pueblos were often farms where farmers would plant and harvest crops to feed the community. Sometimes, pueblos and other buildings were built in caves in cliffs.

 

The Ancestral Puebloans were an ancient Pre-Columbian Native American civilization that spanned the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southwestern Colorado. The Ancestral Puebloans are believed to have developed, at least in part, from the Oshara tradition, who developed from the Picosa culture.

 

They lived in a range of structures that included small family pit houses, larger structures to house clans, grand pueblos, and cliff-sited dwellings for defense. The Ancestral Puebloans possessed a complex network that stretched across the Colorado Plateau linking hundreds of communities and population centers. They held a distinct knowledge of celestial sciences that found form in their architecture. The kiva, a congregational space that was used chiefly for ceremonial purposes, was an integral part of this ancient people's community structure. Some of their most impressive structures were built in what is now Arizona.

 

Hohokam was a Pre-Columbian culture in the North American Southwest in what is now part of Arizona, United States, and Sonora, Mexico. Hohokam practiced a specific culture, sometimes referred to as Hohokam culture, which has been distinguished by archeologists. People who practiced the culture can be called Hohokam as well, but more often, they are distinguished as Hohokam people to avoid confusion.

 

Most archaeologists agree that the Hohokam culture existed between c. 300 and c. 1450 CE, but cultural precursors may have been in the area as early as 300 BC. Whether Hohokam culture was unified politically remains under controversy. Hohokam culture may have just given unrelated neighboring communities common ground to help them to work together to survive their harsh desert environment.

 

The Mogollon culture was an ancient Pre-Columbian culture of Native American peoples from Southern New Mexico and Arizona, Northern Sonora and Chihuahua, and Western Texas. The northern part of this region is Oasisamerica, while the southern span of the Mogollon culture is known as Aridoamerica.

 

The Mogollon culture was one of the major prehistoric Southwestern cultural divisions of the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. The culture flourished from c. 200 CE, to c. 1450 CE or 1540 CE, when the Spanish arrived.

 

The Sinagua culture was a Pre-Columbian culture that occupied a large area in central Arizona from the Little Colorado River, near Flagstaff, to the Verde River, near Sedona, including the Verde Valley, area around San Francisco Mountain, and significant portions of the Mogollon Rim country, between approximately 500 CE and 1425 CE. Besides ceremonial kivas, their pueblos had large "community rooms" and some featured ballcourts and walled courtyards, similar to those of the Hohokam culture. Since fully developed Sinagua sites emerged in central Arizona around 500 CE, it is believed they migrated from east-central Arizona, possibly emerging from the Mogollon culture.

 

The history of Arizona as recorded by Europeans began in 1539 with the first documented exploration of the area by Marcos de Niza, early work expanded the following year when Francisco Vásquez de Coronado entered the area as well.

 

The Spanish established a few missions in southern Arizona in the 1680s by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino along the Santa Cruz River, in what was then the Pimería Alta region of Sonora. The Spanish also established presidios in Tubac and Tucson in 1752 and 1775. The area north of the Gila River was governed by the Province of Las California under the Spanish until 1804, when the Californian portion of Arizona became part of Alta California under the Spanish and Mexican governments.

 

In 1849, the California Gold Rush led as many as 50,000 miners to travel across the region, leading to a boom in Arizona's population. In 1850, Arizona and New Mexico formed the New Mexico Territory.

 

In 1853, President Franklin Pierce sent James Gadsden to Mexico City to negotiate with Santa Anna, and the United States bought the remaining southern strip area of Arizona and New Mexico in the Gadsden Purchase. A treaty was signed in Mexico in December 1853, and then, with modifications, approved by the US Senate in June 1854, setting the southern boundary of Arizona and of New Mexico.

 

Before 1846 the Apache raiders expelled most Mexican ranchers. One result was that large herds of wild cattle roamed southeastern Arizona. By 1850, the herds were gone, killed by Apaches, American sportsmen, contract hunting for the towns of Fronteras and Santa Cruz, and roundups to sell to hungry Mexican War soldiers, and forty-niners en route to California.

 

During the Civil War, on March 16, 1861, citizens in southern New Mexico Territory around Mesilla (now in New Mexico) and Tucson invited take-over by the Confederacy. They especially wanted restoration of mail service. These secessionists hoped that a Confederate Territory of Arizona (CSA) would take control, but in March 1862, Union troops from California captured the Confederate Territory of Arizona and returned it to the New Mexico Territory.

 

The Battle of Picacho Pass, April 15, 1862, was a battle of the Civil War fought in the CSA and one of many battles to occur in Arizona during the war among three sides—Apaches, Confederates and Union forces. In 1863, the U.S. split up New Mexico along a north–south line to create the Arizona Territory. The first government officials to arrive established the territory capital in Prescott in 1864. The capital was later moved to Tucson, back to Prescott, and then to its final location in Phoenix in a series of controversial moves as different regions of the territory gained and lost political influence with the growth and development of the territory.

 

In the late 19th century the Army built a series of forts to encourage the Natives to stay in their territory and to act as a buffer from the settlers. The first was Fort Defiance. It was established on September 18, 1851, by Col. Edwin V. Sumner to create a military presence in Diné bikéyah (Navajo territory). Sumner broke up the fort at Santa Fe for this purpose, creating the first military post in what is now Arizona. He left Major Electus Backus in charge. Small skirmishes were common between raiding Navajo and counter raiding citizens. In April 1860 one thousand Navajo warriors under Manuelito attacked the fort and were beaten off.

 

The fort was abandoned at the start of the Civil War but was reoccupied in 1863 by Colonel Kit Carson and the 1st New Mexico Infantry. Carson was tasked by Brigadier-General James H. Carleton, Commander of the Federal District of New Mexico, to kill Navajo men, destroy crops, wells, houses and livestock. These tactics forced 9000 Navajos to take the Long Walk to a reservation at Bosque Redondo, New Mexico. The Bosque was a complete failure. In 1868 the Navajo signed another treaty and were allowed to go back to part of their former territory. The returning Navajo were restocked with sheep and other livestock. Fort Defiance was the agency for the new Navajo reservation until 1936; today it provides medical services to the region.

 

Fort Apache was built on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation by soldiers from the 1st Cavalry and 21st Infantry in 1870. Only one small battle took place, in September 1881, with three soldiers wounded. When the reservation Indians were granted U.S. citizenship in 1924, the fort was permanently closed down. Fort Huachuca, east of Tucson, was founded in 1877 as the base for operations against Apaches and raiders from Mexico. From 1913 to 1933 the fort was the base for the "Buffalo Soldiers" of the 10th Cavalry Regiment. During World War II, the fort expanded to 25,000 soldiers, mostly in segregated all-black units. Today the fort remains in operation and houses the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and the U.S. Army Network.

 

The Pueblos in Arizona were relatively peaceful through the Navajo and Apache Wars. However, in June 1891, the army had to bring in troops to stop Oraibi from preventing a school from being built on their mesa.

 

After the Civil War, Texans brought large-scale ranching to southern Arizona. They introduced their proven range methods to the new grass country. Texas rustlers also came, and brought lawlessness. Inexperienced ranchers brought poor management, resulting in overstocking, and introduced destructive diseases. Local cattleman organizations were formed to handle these problems. The Territory experienced a cattle boom in 1873–91, as the herds were expanded from 40,000 to 1.5 million head. However, the drought of 1891–93 killed off over half the cattle and produced severe overgrazing. Efforts to restore the rangeland between 1905 and 1934 had limited success, but ranching continued on a smaller scale.

 

Arizona's last major drought occurred during Dust Bowl years of 1933–34. This time Washington stepped in as the Agricultural Adjustment Administration spent $100 million to buy up the starving cattle. The Taylor Grazing Act placed federal and state agencies in control of livestock numbers on public lands. Most of the land in Arizona is owned by the federal government which leased grazing land to ranchers at low cost. Ranchers invested heavily in blooded stock and equipment. James Wilson states that after 1950, higher fees and restrictions in the name of land conservation caused a sizable reduction in available grazing land. The ranchers had installed three-fifths of the fences, dikes, diversion dams, cattleguards, and other improvements, but the new rules reduced the value of that investment. In the end, Wilson believes, sportsmen and environmentalists maintained a political advantage by denouncing the ranchers as political corrupted land-grabbers who exploited the publicly owned natural resources.

 

On February 23, 1883, United Verde Copper Company was incorporated under New York law. The small mining camp next to the mine was given a proper name, 'Jerome.' The town was named after the family which had invested a large amount of capital. In 1885 Lewis Williams opened a copper smelter in Bisbee and the copper boom began, as the nation turned to copper wires for electricity. The arrival of railroads in the 1880s made mining even more profitable, and national corporations bought control of the mines and invested in new equipment. Mining operations flourished in numerous boom towns, such as Bisbee, Jerome, Douglas, Ajo and Miami.

 

Arizona's "wild west" reputation was well deserved. Tombstone was a notorious mining town that flourished longer than most, from 1877 to 1929. Silver was discovered in 1877, and by 1881 the town had a population of over 10,000. Western story tellers and Hollywood film makers made as much money in Tombstone as anyone, thanks to the arrival of Wyatt Earp and his brothers in 1879. They bought shares in the Vizina mine, water rights, and gambling concessions, but Virgil, Morgan and Wyatt were soon appointed as federal and local marshals. They killed three outlaws in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, the most famous gunfight of the Old West.

 

In the aftermath, Virgil Earp was maimed in an ambush and Morgan Earp was assassinated while playing billiards. Walter Noble Burns's novel Tombstone (1927) made Earp famous. Hollywood celebrated Earp's Tombstone days with John Ford's My Darling Clementine (1946), John Sturges's Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) and Hour of the Gun (1967), Frank Perry's Doc (1971), George Cosmatos's Tombstone (1993), and Lawrence Kasdan's Wyatt Earp (1994). They solidified Earp's modern reputation as the Old West's deadliest gunman.

 

Jennie Bauters (1862–1905) operated brothels in the Territory from 1896 to 1905. She was an astute businesswoman with an eye for real estate appreciation, and a way with the town fathers of Jerome regarding taxes and restrictive ordinances. She was not always sitting pretty; her brothels were burned in a series of major fires that swept the business district; her girls were often drug addicts. As respectability closed in on her, in 1903 she relocated to the mining camp of Acme. In 1905, she was murdered by a man who had posed as her husband.

 

By 1869 Americans were reading John Wesley Powell's reports of his explorations of the Colorado River. In 1901, the Santa Fe Railroad reached Grand Canyon's South Rim. With railroad, restaurant and hotel entrepreneur Fred Harvey leading the way, large-scale tourism began that has never abated. The Grand Canyon has become an iconic symbol of the West and the nation as a whole.

 

The Chinese came to Arizona with the construction of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1880. Tucson was the main railroad center and soon had a Chinatown with laundries for the general population and a rich mix of restaurants, groceries, and services for the residents. Chinese and Mexican merchants and farmers transcended racial differences to form 'guanxi,' which were relations of friendship and trust. Chinese leased land from Mexicans, operated grocery stores, and aided compatriots attempting to enter the United States from Mexico after the Mexican Revolution in 1910. Chinese merchants helped supply General John Pershing's army in its expedition against Pancho Villa. Successful Chinese in Tucson led a viable community based on social integration, friendship, and kinship.

 

In February 1903, U.S. Senator Hamilton Kean spoke against Arizona's statehood. He said Mormons who fled from Idaho to Mexico would return to the U.S. and mix in the politics of Arizona.

 

In 1912, Arizona almost entered the Union as part of New Mexico in a Republican plan to keep control of the U.S. Senate. The plan, while accepted by most in New Mexico, was rejected by most Arizonans. Progressives in Arizona favored inclusion in the state constitution of the initiative, referendum, recall, direct election of senators, woman suffrage, and other reforms. Most of these proposals were included in the constitution that was rejected by Congress.

 

A new constitution was offered with the problematic provisions removed. Congress then voted to approve statehood, and President Taft signed the statehood bill on February 14, 1912. State residents promptly put the provisions back in. Hispanics had little voice or power. Only one of the 53 delegates at the constitutional convention was Hispanic, and he refused to sign. In 1912 women gained suffrage in the state, eight years before the country as a whole.

 

Arizona's first Congressman was Carl Hayden (1877–1972). He was the son of a Yankee merchant who had moved to Tempe because he needed dry heat for his bad lungs. Carl attended Stanford University and moved up the political ladder as town councilman, county treasurer, and Maricopa County sheriff, where he nabbed Arizona's last train robbers. He also started building a coalition to develop the state's water resources, a lifelong interest. A liberal Democrat his entire career, Hayden was elected to Congress in 1912 and moved to the Senate in 1926.

 

Reelection followed every six years as he advanced toward the chairmanship of the powerful Appropriations Committee, which he reached in 1955. His only difficult campaign came in 1962, at age 85, when he defeated a young conservative. He retired in 1968 after a record 56 years in Congress. His great achievement was his 41-year battle to enact the Central Arizona Project that would provide water for future growth.

 

The Great Depression of 1929–39 hit Arizona hard. At first local, state and private relief efforts focused on charity, especially by the Community Chest and Organized Charities programs. Federal money started arriving with the Federal Emergency Relief Committee in 1930. Different agencies promoted aid to the unemployed, tuberculosis patients, transients, and illegal immigrants. The money ran out by 1931 or 1932, and conditions were bad until New Deal relief operations began on a large scale in 1933.

 

Construction programs were important, especially the Hoover Dam (originally called Boulder Dam), begun by President Herbert Hoover. It is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border with Nevada. It was constructed by the Federal Bureau of Reclamation between 1931 and 1936. It operationalized a schedule of water use set by the Colorado River Compact of 1922 that gave Arizona 19% of the river's water, with 25% to Nevada and the rest to California.

 

Construction of military bases in Arizona was a national priority because of the state's excellent flying weather and clear skies, large amounts of unoccupied land, good railroads, cheap labor, low taxes, and its proximity to California's aviation industry. Arizona was attractive to both the military and private firms and they stayed after the war.

 

Fort Huachuca became one of the largest nearly-all-black Army forts, with quarters for 1,300 officers and 24,000 enlisted soldiers. The 92nd and 93rd Infantry Divisions, composed of African-American troops, trained there.

 

During the war, Mexican-American community organizations were very active in patriotic efforts to support American troops abroad, and made efforts to support the war effort materially and to provide moral support for the American servicemen fighting the war, especially the Mexican-American servicemen from local communities. Some of the community projects were cooperative ventures in which members of both the Mexican-American and Anglo communities participated. Most efforts made in the Mexican-American community represented localized American home front activities that were separate from the activities of the Anglo community.

 

Mexican-American women organized to assist their servicemen and the war effort. An underlying goal of the Spanish-American Mothers and Wives Association was the reinforcement of the woman's role in Spanish-Mexican culture. The organization raised thousands of dollars, wrote letters, and joined in numerous celebrations of their culture and their support for Mexican-American servicemen. Membership reached over 300 during the war and eventually ended its existence in 1976.

 

Heavy government spending during World War II revitalized the Arizona economy, which was still based on copper mining, citrus and cotton crops and cattle ranching, with a growing tourist business.

 

Military installations peppered the state, such as Davis-Monthan Field in Tucson, the main training center for air force bomber pilots. Two relocation camps opened for Japanese and Japanese Americans brought in from the West Coast.

 

After World War II the population grew rapidly, increasing sevenfold between 1950 and 2000, from 700,000 to over 5 million. Most of the growth was in the Phoenix area, with Tucson a distant second. Urban growth doomed the state's citrus industry, as the groves were turned into housing developments.

 

The cost of water made growing cotton less profitable, and Arizona's production steadily declined. Manufacturing employment jumped from 49,000 in 1960 to 183,000 by 1985, with half the workers in well-paid positions. High-tech firms such as Motorola, Hughes Aircraft, Goodyear Aircraft, Honeywell, and IBM had offices in the Phoenix area. By 1959, Hughes Aircraft had built advanced missiles with 5,000 workers in Tucson.

 

Despite being a small state, Arizona produced several national leaders for both the Republican and Democratic parties. Two Republican Senators were presidential nominees: Barry Goldwater in 1964 and John McCain in 2008; both carried Arizona but lost the national election. Senator Ernest McFarland, a Democrat, was the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate from 1951 to 1952, and Congressman John Rhodes was the Republican Minority Leader in the House from 1973 to 1981. Democrats Bruce Babbitt (Governor 1978–87) and Morris Udall (Congressman 1961–90) were contenders for their party's presidential nominations. In 1981 Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court; she served until 2006.

 

Retirement communities

Warm winters and low cost of living attracted retirees from the so-called snowbelt, who moved permanently to Arizona after 1945, bringing their pensions, Social Security, and savings with them. Real estate entrepreneurs catered to them with new communities with amenities pitched to older people, and with few facilities for children. Typically they were gated communities with controlled access and had pools, recreation centers, and golf courses.

 

In 1954, two developers bought 320 acres (1.3 km2) of farmland near Phoenix and opened the nation's first planned community dedicated exclusively to retirees at Youngtown. In 1960, developer Del Webb, inspired by the amenities in Florida's trailer parks, added facilities for "active adults" in his new Sun City planned community near Phoenix. In 1962 Ross Cortese opened the first of his gated Leisure Worlds. Other developers copied the popular model, and by 2000 18% of the retirees in the state lived in such "lifestyle" communities.

 

The issues of the fragile natural environment, compounded by questions of water shortage and distribution, led to numerous debates. The debate crossed traditional lines, so that the leading conservative, Senator Barry Goldwater, was also keenly concerned. For example, Goldwater supported the controversial Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP). He wrote:

 

I feel very definitely that the [Nixon] administration is absolutely correct in cracking down on companies and corporations and municipalities that continue to pollute the nation's air and water. While I am a great believer in the free competitive enterprise system and all that it entails, I am an even stronger believer in the right of our people to live in a clean and pollution-free environment. To this end, it is my belief that when pollution is found, it should be halted at the source, even if this requires stringent government action against important segments of our national economy.

 

Water issues were central. Agriculture consumed 89% of the state's strictly limited water supply while generating only 3% of the state's income. The Groundwater Management Act of 1980, sponsored by Governor Bruce Babbitt, raised the price of water to farmers, while cities had to reach a "safe yield" so that the groundwater usage did not exceed natural replenishment. New housing developments had to prove they had enough water for the next hundred years. Desert foliage suitable for a dry region soon replaced grass.

 

Cotton acreage declined dramatically, freeing up land for suburban sprawl as well as releasing large amounts of water and ending the need for expensive specialized machinery. Cotton acreage plunged from 120,000 acres in 1997 to only 40,000 acres in 2005, even as the federal treasury gave the state's farmers over $678 million in cotton subsidies. Many farmers collect the subsidies but no longer grow cotton. About 80% of the state's cotton is exported to textile factories in China and (since the passage of NAFTA) to Mexico.

 

Super Bowl XXX was played in Tempe in 1996 and Super Bowl XLII was held in Glendale in 2008. Super Bowl XLIX was also held in Glendale in 2015.

 

Illegal immigration continued to be a prime concern within the state, and in April 2010, Arizona SB1070 was passed and signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer. The measure attracted national attention as the most thorough anti-illegal immigration measure in decades within the United States.

 

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head during a political event in Tucson on January 8, 2011. The shooting resulted in six deaths and several injuries. Giffords survived the attack and became an advocate for gun control.

 

On June 30, 2013, nineteen members of the Prescott Fire Department were killed fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire. The fatalities were members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a hotshot crew, of whom only one survived as he was working in another location.

 

Border crisis: by 2019 Arizona was one of the states most affected by the border crisis, with a high number of migrant crossings and detentions.

Includes categories (purple), key words (orange) and suggested activities (blue/green).

 

Found here: cstep.csumb.edu/Obj_tutorial/bloomwheel3.gif

 

May remake this - it needs a sense of hierarchy and perhaps to be 3D...

The Wee MacGregor tram and rail complex and the former towns of Ballara and Hightville’ is located in the Argylla Ranges between Cloncurry and Mount Isa in North West Queensland, in the traditional country of the Kalkadoon people. Constructed during an early 20th century boom in copper prices, the place includes the sites of two abandoned mining towns, Hightville and Ballara (surveyed in 1913 and 1914 respectively); the former western terminus (near Ballara) of a private 3ft 6in (1.1m) narrow gauge railway line, constructed 1913 - 1914; and the route of an associated private 2ft (0.6m) gauge tramway, constructed 1914 - 1915, between Ballara and the Wee MacGregor mine. The complex includes a 48m long ore transfer stage (1914), and a 77m long tunnel (1914 - 1915).

 

The town of Cloncurry was surveyed in the 1870s to support the local mining and pastoral industries. Pastoralist Ernest Henry had discovered copper nearby in 1867 and established the ‘Great Australia’ (or Great Australian) mine. Part of the area was proclaimed a goldfield in 1874, and the Cloncurry Mining District (later the Cloncurry Gold and Mineral Field) was proclaimed in 1883. Copper was discovered south of Cloncurry in 1884, and a town was formed in 1898 called Hampden (later called Kuridala). At Mount Elliot, south of Hampden, copper was discovered in 1899 and mining commenced in 1906.

 

The absence of a railway initially hampered the effective exploitation of Cloncurry’s mineral resources. The closure of the Great Australia Mine in 1887 meant a proposed railway from Normanton was diverted to Croydon (1888 - 1891), but when copper prices rose in 1905 the Queensland Government decided to extend the Great Northern Railway west from Richmond, and the first construction train reached Cloncurry in December 1907.

 

Mining activity was increasing on the Cloncurry field even before the railway arrived. By March 1906, copper had been discovered as an outcrop at the Wee MacGregor lease, west-southwest of Cloncurry. The Leichhardt Development Syndicate was formed in October 1906 to develop the Wee MacGregor ‘group’ of mines, which included the Wee MacGregor, Grand Central, Wattle, and Wallaroo leases, and two months later MacGregor Cloncurry Copper Mines (the MacGregor Company) was floated in London. Hampden Cloncurry Copper Mines Ltd, and Mount Elliot Limited, two companies which later dominated the Cloncurry field during World War I (WWI), were also floated in 1906.

 

By October 1907 there were three prospecting shafts on the Wee MacGregor lease. That year, with a population of 650 miners (almost double that of 1906), the Cloncurry field produced 5.6% of Queensland’s copper. By July 1908 the MacGregor Company was employing 70 men, not including mine officials, and during 1908 a telephone link with Cloncurry was established and tenders were called for a mail service.

 

By 1909 a settlement, including company offices and a store, was developing near the Wallaroo mine, located about 1km southeast of the Wee MacGregor mine. That year John Frost constructed the MacGregor Hotel on the site of Hightville. The hotel was listed under ‘Hightville’ in Wise’s Post Office Directory of 1911, although the town of Hightville was not surveyed until November 1913.

 

Isolation threatened the economic viability of the Wee MacGregor group of mines. Ore was first drayed to Cloncurry along a rough road in May 1909, but this form of transport was uneconomic. One option for the MacGregor Company was to build a private mining railway, as had been done elsewhere in Queensland. Such railways were part of a wider pattern in Queensland during the late 19th-early 20th century: the construction of private and local government railways and tramways to transport the products of primary industry. However, the MacGregor Company could not afford a private railway to the closest point on the Mount Elliott Railway, 39km away.

 

Another option was for the company to contribute towards a state-owned railway, as had occurred with the railway from Cloncurry to Mount Elliott, via Hampden. The cost of this railway, which opened in 1910, was split 50/50 between the Kidston Government and the Mount Elliott Company. In September 1910 the MacGregor Company proposed a branch line from Malbon, on the Mount Elliott railway, under similar terms, and the government agreed to split the cost of a line survey and plans.

 

In June 1911 the MacGregor Company sought government support for a shorter branch line, this time linking to the state railway being built southwest from Malbon towards Sulieman Creek. Government officials were sceptical about the profitability and lifespan of the Wee MacGregor group of mines, despite the company estimating reserves of 100,000 tons of ore (most from the Wee MacGregor mine). Instead of a 50-50 funding arrangement for a state owned branch line, the government agreed to rent the MacGregor Company the rails they needed to construct a private line.

 

Queensland’s Railways Commissioner, Charles Evans, inspected the proposed route to the Wee MacGregor mine in July 1912, and the Railway Department’s Engineer, Percy Ainscow, proposed a ‘no-frills’ railway, with a 10ft (3m) wide formation, reduced earthworks, less side drainage, cheap concrete culverts and the minimum of bridges.

 

The company’s branch line was proposed at an opportune time. In 1912, the Cloncurry field produced 45% of Queensland’s annual production of copper, with annual copper earnings now exceeding gold’s earnings. There were 1485 copper miners on the field, which was the ‘foremost producer of copper in the State’.

 

The Wee MacGregor Tramway Agreement Bill was introduced to Parliament in November 1912. It proposed that the MacGregor Company pay for the construction and maintenance of a private 3ft 6in ‘tramway’ (actually a narrow gauge railway), 24 miles and 40 chains (39.4km) long, from the Malbon to Sulieman Creek Railway to a terminus at or near the Wee MacGregor mine. The Commissioner for Railways would provide steel rails, fish plates, fastenings, sleepers, and other permanent way materials. The company would pay 5% per year ‘rent’ on the cost of the materials supplied by the government, which had the power to acquire the line. By the 2nd of December 1912, the company involved in the proposal had become the Hampden Company, which purchased the Wee MacGregor group of mines from the Macgregor Company for £108,750.

 

Despite the Labor Party’s concern about a company gaining a competitive advantage from a private railway line, The Wee MacGregor Tramway Agreement Act 1912 was passed on the 4th of December 1912. Walter Paget, Minister for Railways, noted the difference from previous private sector-government railway agreements, with less government exposure to risk.

 

Work started on the 3ft 6in railway in early 1913, supervised by Ainscow. MacGregor Junction (Devoncourt), on the Malbon to Sulieman Creek railway, was the location of the main construction camp. The steepest grade for the railway was 1 in 40, with a minimum curve radius of 5 chains (100m). By April 1913 about 200 men were employed on the project.

 

The railway was planned as far as the Wallaroo mine, located east of the town of Hightville, but in late 1913 the Hampden Company decided that, due to the steep, difficult terrain near Hightville, the railway would be shortened, with the terminus now 22 miles, 49 chains (35.9km) from MacGregor Junction. The remainder of the route to Hightville, and beyond to the Wee MacGregor mine, would now be traversed by a 2ft gauge tramway, which could accommodate tighter curves and steeper grades than the railway.

 

A railway station and goods shed were constructed on the northern side of the town of Ballara, where a triangular junction was located. Ballara, situated at ‘Lady Lease Flats’, was surveyed in June 1914. A sale of town lots was scheduled for the 14th of August 1914, with upset prices for the quarter acre (0.1ha) lots ranging from £10 to £30. The outbreak of WWI led to the sale’s cancellation, and by the time a sale of 36 lots was held on the 24th of February 1915, prices had trebled. Facilities at Ballara included a Post Office, established in late 1914, and a police reserve was gazetted at the west end of the town in 1915. A district hospital was established by August 1918, on 5 acres north of the turning triangle. The Ballara Hotel existed by 1918, although it burnt down on the 27th of April that year, and again in April 1919. A state school was approved in May 1919, and opened in July 1919. A cemetery reserve was also gazetted, northeast of the hospital reserve, replacing the previous cemetery south of Hightville.

 

Hightville slowly declined after the 1913 decision to shorten the railway and relocate its terminus to Ballara, although a sale of 45 town lots still occurred in May 1914, with prices for a quarter acre (0.1ha) ranging from £5 to £25. As well as the Macgregor Hotel, Hightville had a butcher by 1913; a storekeeper and postmaster by 1914; and a boarding house by 1915. A state school was also approved in May 1917, and sites were reserved for the school and police in 1918. By 1917, however, Hightville listings were included under ‘Ballara’ in Wise’s Post Office Directory. When the MacGregor Hotel burnt down in 1914, its replacement, the former Cosmopolitan Hotel from Ravenswood, was moved to Hightville, and later to Ballara. The school and its pupils moved to Ballara in 1919.

 

The 2ft tramway ran west from the triangular junction at Ballara, over a raised concrete ore transfer stage, past the terminus of the railway, and then curved north. It passed between Hightville and the Wallaroo mine, and proceeded to the Wee MacGregor mine – a total route of about 3.8 miles (6.1km). A short branch tramway ran to the Wallaroo mine. Ore was transported via the tramway from the mines to the ore transfer stage, where it would be tipped from trucks on the tramway down into trucks on the railway. The railway would then convey the ore to the Hampden smelters (operational 1911). As the tramway was not part of the 1912 agreement, the company funded construction and purchased its 28 pound rails and steel sleepers.

 

By the 5th of May 1914 all earthworks, bridges, drains, and rails for the railway were completed to the terminal yard at Ballara, although the station building and earthworks beyond the station weren’t finished. The railway was operational during May 1914 and was officially opened to the public in July 1914, yet it was of little use for moving ore until the tramway was completed.

 

The tramway was under construction in early 1914, with earthworks extending for two miles (3.2km), and the ‘first five bridges and drains’ nearing completion, by the 5th of May 1914. Between Hightville and the Wee MacGregor mine a 77m long unlined tunnel, with concrete portals, and a 1 in 22 grade towards the mine, was constructed through MacGregor Hill. The tunnel was nearly completed by January 1915, with rails laid 5 chains (101m) through it by the 11th of March 1915.

 

The tramway was transporting ore by the 31st of May 1915. It had cost £11,005, and had curves as tight as 2 chains (40m) radius. The tunnel remains the most westerly railway tunnel in Queensland, and the 47.9m long, 2.65m high ore transfer stage is unique as the only recorded tramway-to-railway ore transhipment platform in Queensland.

 

The Annual Report of the Under Secretary of Mines for 1915 stated that ‘a 2-ft gauge tramway, four miles [6.4km] in length, from Ballara, connects the MacGregor and Wallaroo Mines with the main line, and carries 50 tons of ore per day in three train loads to Ballara, conveying firewood, mine timber, and general stores as return loading’.

 

Three trains a week had run along the railway from the 25th of May to 15 June 1914. However, the start of WWI on the 4th of August 1914 led to a temporary halt to mining, as German buyers held the contracts for the sale of copper. Only one supply train a week was run to Ballara until early 1915, when the Allied demand for copper revived mining and railway activity. Around 300 tons of ore was railed from Ballara each week during the war, and annual passenger numbers peaked at 4533 in 1916.

 

Wartime copper prices boosted the fortunes of the whole Cloncurry Gold and Mineral Field. The London market price for copper rose from under £60 a ton to £84 10s during 1915, and the Cloncurry district produced 53% of Queensland’s copper that year. During 1916, copper prices rose from £85 to £150 a ton, and in September 1917 British Munitions authorities fixed the price at £110 5s. The Cloncurry field produced 63.2% of Queensland’s copper in 1918, when the total population of the field reached 7795.

 

Copper prices dropped after the end of WWI, falling from £112 per ton in December 1918 to £75 per ton in April 1919. By March 1919 it was reported that the price slump and a scarcity of workers had ‘dealt a knockout blow to all’, although a new shaft was still being sunk on the Wee MacGregor mine. Copper production on the Cloncurry field fell in 1919, and only one train a week ran to Ballara, with 2170 tons of freight carried during the year – a 90% reduction from 1918.

 

Copper prices were £72 a ton at the end of 1920. This, along with high overheads, caused the closure of the Wee MacGregor mine in November 1920. Tenders were invited in December 1920 for purchase of the ‘MacGregor Mines tramway’, including ‘about 4 miles of 2 foot gauge tramway, built of 28lb. steel rails, iron sleepers, locomotive, and ten bogie trucks’. The tramway’s rails were removed during 1921 and stacked at Ballara. The train service to Ballara dropped to once a month from February 1921, when there were still 17 families in the town, plus ‘copper gougers’ (small mine operators) in the area. During 1921 the railway only carried 199 tons of freight.

 

Train services to Ballara were maintained by the government throughout most of the 1920s. In October 1922 a service from Cloncurry to Ballara ran on alternate Wednesdays. The discovery of a large silver-lead deposit at Mount Isa in 1923 raised hopes that the railway could be extended from Ballara to Mount Isa, but the line was constructed from Duchess instead. Services to Ballara alternated between a weekly and a fortnightly schedule until early 1927, when regular services ended.

 

The MacGregor Junction to Ballara railway survived for a short while longer, as 38 tons of minerals and 10 tons of other goods were carried in the 1928 - 1929 financial year, from Pindora siding. The rails between MacGregor Junction and Ballara were removed in 1929, and were stacked at Malbon. There were complaints that a final train was not even sent out to evacuate 30 copper gougers and their families.

 

After the mine’s closure in 1920, Ballara’s decline was inevitable. In 1920 Wise’s Post Office Directory listed a district and a maternity hospital at Ballara; plus a school teacher; butchers; refreshment rooms; stores; a boarding house; a station and post master; and the MacGregor and Ballara Hotels. By 1927 no names or institutions were listed under Ballara.

 

Although the tramway and railway had closed, and Hightville and Ballara were abandoned, copper gougers retained an interest in the Wee MacGregor area over the following decades. In 1954, prospectors also discovered uranium deposits at Ballara. Several concrete slabs at the site of Hightville date from the early 1970s, during a period of renewed mining activity at the Wee MacGregor mine, and in 2018, exploratory drilling work was underway at the mine.

 

Source: Queensland Heritage Register.

Includes weapon options for all squad members

There's been a bit of rain recently. The big puddle in the cycle lane and Buckingham Park parking area has returned. Poorly designed to have a dip there with no drain to take the water away.

A calm evening by the Adur. The Seal seemed to be tracking this couple in their rowing boat as they headed downstream.

St Lucia Estuary Boat Cruise

 

Hippopotamus

 

Flusspferd

 

iSimangaliso Wetland Park (previously known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park) is situated on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, about 275 kilometres north of Durban. It is South Africa's third-largest protected area, spanning 280 km of coastline, from the Mozambican border in the north to Mapelane south of the Lake St. Lucia estuary, and made up of around 3,280 km2 of natural ecosystems, managed by the iSimangaliso Authority. The park includes:

 

Lake St. Lucia

St. Lucia Game Reserve

False Bay Park

Kosi Bay

Lake Etrza Nature Reserve

Lake Sibhayi

St. Lucia Marine Reserve

St. Lucia Marine Sanctuary

Sodwana Bay National Park

Mapelane Nature Reserve

Maputaland Marine Reserve

Cape Vidal

Ozabeni

Mfabeni

Tewate Wilderness Area

Mkuze Game Reserve

 

The park was previously known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, but was renamed effective 1 November 2007. The word isimangaliso means "a miracle" or "something wondrous" in Zulu. The name came as a result of Shaka's subject having been sent to the land of the Tsonga. When he came back he described the beauty that he saw as a miracle.

 

The park is dueto be integrated into a transfrontier park, the Ponta do Ouro-Kosi Bay Transfrontier Conservation Area, straddling South Africa, Mozambique, and Eswatini. This is in turn planned to become a part of the greater Greater Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area.

 

Until 1895, the bay had been a home of the Tsonga people and their Tsonga fish kraal. This is the original and the natural home of the Tsonga people and they have lived here for more than 1000 years. Records from early Portuguese sailors rightfully point out this area to be occupied by the Tsonga people and further down south. The area was also known as Tembeland or Thongaland but the name fell into disuse around the early 1900s. The area was ruled by a Tsonga branch of the Vahlanganu (Tembe). The Swiss Missionary, Reverend Henri Alexandra Junod (Known as HA Junod), conducted a scientific and ethnographic study of the Tsonga people during the early 1890s and produced a detailed map, showing the occupation of the bay by the Tsonga Tembe people. The Swiss Missionary, Rev Junod, illustrated in his detailed map that the area was known as Tembeland and that the Tembe capital city was located in the St Lucia bay. Rev Junod's map showed that by 1906, the Tsonga people occupied the land from St Lucia up until Valdezia in the Spelenkon district of the Transvaal province, known today as Limpopo Province. St Lucia bay and Maputo bay are one land and they belong to the Tsonga people, Tsonga villages were built from St Lucia bay until Maputo and they were not separated by any natural division. Around St Lucia, the ruling chief was the Tembe Royal Family, while around Maputo, the ruling class was the Maputo royal family, who are all of the Vahlanganu branch of the Tsonga people. In and around Maputo and St Lucia bay (Tembeland), the language spoken is Ronga, which according to the Swiss Missionary, Rev HA Junod, is not an independent language but a dialect of Xitsonga. According to Rev Junod, Ronga language is so similar to Xitsonga that it cannot be regarded an independent language but is a dialect of a major language known today as Xitsonga.

 

The Tsonga people were forcefully removed from the park when Britain colonised the area in 1895 and turned the place into a wildlife reserve and established the holiday town of St Lucia. Because of colonisation, the southern part of the park was handed over to the Zulu nation, while the northern part was given to the Tsonga people. Before colonisation, the Tsonga controlled the entire St Lucia bay. Despite colonisation and annexation of land, the Tsonga people still live in the northern part of the park, at Kosi Bay. The Tembe Elephant Park, run by Chief Israel Tembe, is a living history that testify to the rich Tsonga history of this wetland park. Chief Israel Tembe is the custodian of this ancient Tsonga land that was taken away during colonisation. The Tembe kingdom, one of the most powerful kingdoms in Southern Africa before colonisation, was a ruling class for more than eight centuries.

 

St. Lucia was first named in 1554 Rio dos Medos do Ouro (alternatively Rio dos Médãos do Ouro — River of the Gold Dunes) by the survivors of the Portuguese ship Saint Benedict. At this stage, only the Tugela River mouth was known as St. Lucia. Later, in 1575, the Tugela River was named Tugela. On 13 December 1575, the day of the feast of Saint Lucy, Manuel Peresterello renamed the mouth area to Santa Lucia.

 

In 1822, St. Lucia was proclaimed by the British as a township.

In 1895, St. Lucia Game Reserve, 30 km north of the town was proclaimed.

In 1971, St. Lucia Lake and the turtle beaches and coral reefs of Maputaland have been listed by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention).

In December 1999, the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site at an unveiling ceremony, where Nelson Mandela was the guest of honour.

 

The park was proclaimed a world heritage site because of the rich biodiversity, unique ecosystems and natural beauty occurring in a relatively small area. The reason for the huge diversity in fauna and flora is the great variety of different ecosystems on the park, ranging from coral reefs and sandy beaches to subtropical dune forests, savannas, and wetlands. Animals occurring on the park include elephant, African leopard, black and southern white rhino, buffalo, and in the ocean, whales, dolphins, and marine turtles including the leatherback and loggerhead turtle.

 

The park is also home to 1,200 Nile crocodiles and 800 hippopotami.

 

In December 2013, after 44 years of absence, African lions were reintroduced to iSimangaliso.

 

There are large outcroppings of underwater reefs which are home to brightly coloured fish and corals. Some of the most spectacular coral diversity in the world is located in Sodwana Bay. The reefs are inhabited by colour-changing octopuses and squid ready to ambush unsuspecting prey. Occasionally gigantic whale sharks can be seen gliding through the water, mouth agape to scoop up tiny plankton.

 

Twenty-four species of bivalve molluscs are recorded in St. Lucia Lake, which constitutes a considerable portion of the park.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

The common hippopotamus (/ˌhɪpəˈpɒtəməs/ HIP-ə-POT-ə-məs; Hippopotamus amphibius), or hippo, is a large, mostly herbivorous, semiaquatic mammal and ungulate native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis). The name comes from the ancient Greek for "river horse" (ἱπποπόταμος). After the elephant and rhinoceros, the common hippopotamus is the third-largest type of land mammal and the heaviest extant artiodactyl. Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, the closest living relatives of the Hippopotamidae are cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises, etc.) from which they diverged about 55 million years ago.

 

Common hippos are recognisable by their barrel-shaped torsos, wide-opening mouths revealing large canine tusks, nearly hairless bodies, columnar legs and large size; adults average 1,500 kg (3,310 lb) and 1,300 kg (2,870 lb) for males and females respectively. Despite its stocky shape and short legs, it is capable of running 30 km/h (19 mph) over short distances.

 

The common hippopotamus inhabits rivers, lakes and mangrove swamps, where territorial bulls preside over a stretch of river and groups of five to thirty females and young. During the day, they remain cool by staying in the water or mud; reproduction and childbirth both occur in water. They emerge at dusk to graze on grasses. While hippopotamuses rest near each other in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos are not territorial on land. The hippopotamus is among the most dangerous animals in the world as it is highly aggressive and unpredictable. They are threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory canine teeth.

 

The Latin word "hippopotamus" is derived from the ancient Greek ἱπποπόταμος, hippopotamos, from ἵππος, hippos, "horse", and ποταμός, potamos, "river", meaning "horse of the river". In English, the plural is "hippopotamuses", but "hippopotami" is also used; "hippos" can be used as a short plural. Hippopotamuses are gregarious, living in groups of up to thirty animals. A group is called a pod, herd, dale, or bloat.

 

Hippopotami are among the largest living land mammals, being only smaller than elephants and some rhinoceroses. Amongst the extant African megafauna, behind the two African elephant species, they average smaller than the white rhinoceros but are larger by body mass than the black rhinoceros and the giraffe. Mean adult weight is around 1,500 kg (3,310 lb) and 1,300 kg (2,870 lb) for males and females respectively, very large males can reach 2,000 kg (4,410 lb) and exceptional males weighing 2,660 kg (5,860 lb) and 3,200 kg (7,050 lb) have been reported. Male hippos appear to continue growing throughout their lives while females reach maximum weight at around age 25.

 

Hippopotami have barrel-shaped bodies with short legs and long muzzles. Their skeletal structures are graviportal; adapted to carrying their enormous weight, and their specific gravity allows them to sink and move along the bottom of a river. Hippopotamuses have small legs (relative to other megafauna) because the water in which they live reduces the weight burden. Though they are bulky animals, hippopotamuses can gallop at 30 km/h (19 mph) on land but normally trot. They are incapable of jumping but do climb up steep banks. Despite being semiaquatic and having webbed feet, an adult hippo is not a particularly good swimmer nor can it float. It is rarely found in deep water; when it is, the animal moves by porpoise-like leaps from the bottom. The eyes, ears, and nostrils of hippos are placed high on the roof of their skulls. This allows these organs to remain above the surface while the rest of the body submerges. The testes of the males descend only partially and a scrotum is not present. In addition, the penis retracts into the body when not erect. The genitals of the female are unusual in that the vagina is ridged and two large diverticula protrude from the vulval vestibule. The function of these is unknown.

 

The hippo's jaw is powered by a large masseter and a well-developed digastric; the latter loops up behind the former to the hyoid. The jaw hinge is located far back enough to allow the animal to open its mouth at almost 180°. A moderate folding of the orbicularis oris muscle allows the hippo to achieve such a gape without tearing any tissue. The bite force of an adult female has been measured as 8,100 newtons (1,800 lbf). Hippopotamus teeth sharpen themselves as they grind together. The lower canines and lower incisors are enlarged, especially in males, and grow continuously. The incisors can reach 40 cm (1 ft 4 in), while the canines reach up to 50 cm (1 ft 8 in). The canines and incisors are used for combat and play no role in feeding. Hippos rely on their broad horny lips to grasp and pull grasses which are then ground by the molars. The hippo is considered to be a pseudoruminant; it has a complex three-chambered stomach but does not "chew cud".

 

Unlike most other semiaquatic animals, the hippopotamus has very little hair. The skin is 6 cm (2 in) thick, providing it great protection against conspecifics and predators. By contrast, its subcutaneous fat layer is thin. The animals' upper parts are purplish-grey to blue-black, while the under parts and areas around the eyes and ears can be brownish-pink. Their skin secretes a natural sunscreen substance which is red-coloured. The secretion is sometimes referred to as "blood sweat", but is neither blood nor sweat. This secretion is initially colourless and turns red-orange within minutes, eventually becoming brown. Two distinct pigments have been identified in the secretions, one red (hipposudoric acid) and one orange (norhipposudoric acid). The two pigments are highly acidic compounds. They inhibit the growth of disease-causing bacteria, and their light absorption peaks in the ultraviolet range, creating a sunscreen effect. All hippos, even those with different diets, secrete the pigments, so it does not appear that food is the source of the pigments. Instead, the animals may synthesise the pigments from precursors such as the amino acid tyrosine. Nevertheless, this natural sunscreen cannot prevent the animal's skin from cracking if it stays out of water too long.

 

A hippo's lifespan is typically 40–50 years. Donna the Hippo was the oldest living hippo in captivity. She lived at the Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville, Indiana in the US until her death in 2012 at the age of 61.

 

Different from all other large land mammals, hippos are of semiaquatic habits, spending the day in lakes and rivers. They can be found in both savannah and forest areas. Proper habitat requires enough water to submerge in and grass nearby. Larger densities of the animals inhabit quiet waters with mostly firm, smooth sloping beaches. Males may be found in very small numbers in rapid waters in rocky gorges. Hippo mostly live in freshwater habitats, however populations in West Africa mostly inhabit estuarine waters and may even be found at sea. With the exception of eating, most of hippopotamuses' lives occurs in the water. Hippos leave the water at dusk and travel inland, sometimes up to 10 km (6 mi), to graze on short grasses, their main source of food. They spend four to five hours grazing and can consume 68 kg (150 lb) of grass each night.

 

Like almost any herbivore, they consume other plants if presented with them, but their diet in nature consists almost entirely of grass, with only minimal consumption of aquatic plants. Hippos are born with sterile intestines, and require bacteria obtained from their mothers' feces to digest vegetation. Hippos have (albeit rarely) been filmed eating carrion, usually close to the water. There are other reports of meat-eating, and even cannibalism and predation. The stomach anatomy of a hippo is not suited to carnivory, and meat-eating is likely caused by aberrant behaviour or nutritional stress.

 

Hippo defecation creates allochthonous deposits of organic matter along the river beds. These deposits have an unclear ecological function. A 2015 study concluded that hippo dung provides nutrients from terrestrial material for fish and aquatic invertebrates, while a 2018 study found that their dung can be toxic to aquatic life in large quantities, due to absorption of dissolved oxygen in water bodies. Because of their size and their habit of taking the same paths to feed, hippos can have a significant impact on the land across which they walk, both by keeping the land clear of vegetation and depressing the ground. Over prolonged periods, hippos can divert the paths of swamps and channels.

A hippopotamus walking on the grass land in Serengeti National Park in the morning

 

Adult hippos move at speeds up to 8 km/h (5 mph) in water; typically resurfacing to breathe every three to five minutes. The young have to breathe every two to three minutes. The process of surfacing and breathing is subconscious: a hippo sleeping underwater will rise and breathe without waking up. A hippo closes its nostrils when it submerges into the water. As with fish and turtles on a coral reef, hippos occasionally visit cleaning stations and signal, by opening their mouths wide, their readiness for being cleaned of parasites by certain species of fishes. This is an example of mutualism, in which the hippo benefits from the cleaning while the fish receive food.

 

Hippopotamus coexist with a variety of formidable predators. Nile crocodiles, lions and spotted hyenas are known to prey on young hippos. However, due to their aggression and size, adult hippopotamus are not usually preyed upon by other animals. Cases where large lion prides have successfully preyed on adult hippopotamus have been reported; however, this predation is generally rare. Lions occasionally prey on adults at Gorongosa National Park and calves are taken at Virunga. Crocodiles are frequent targets of hippo aggression, probably because they often inhabit the same riparian habitats; crocodiles may be either aggressively displaced or killed by hippopotamuses. In turn, beyond cases of killing the seldom unguarded hippo calf, very large Nile crocodiles have been verified to occasionally prey on "half-grown" hippopotamuses and anecdotally perhaps adult female hippos. Aggregations of crocodiles have also been seen to dispatch still-living bull hippopotamuses that have been previously injured in mating battles with other bulls.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Der iSimangaliso Wetland Park (bis Oktober 2007 Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, danach iSimangaliso Wetland Park) ist ein Nationalpark an der Ostküste der südafrikanischen Provinz KwaZulu-Natal. Der Eingang zum Park befindet sich nahe der Kleinstadt St. Lucia.

 

Der Nationalpark umfasst die Feucht- und Küstengebiete von Mapelane im Süden bis hinauf zur Sodwana-Bucht im Norden und besteht aus vielen kleinen Schutzgebieten mit subtropischer bis tropischer Vegetation. Im Norden liegen die Mkuze-Sümpfe, während sich im Westen trockene Dornensavannen befinden.

 

Im Zentrum des Parks befindet sich der St.-Lucia-See, nach dem der Park benannt wurde. Mit einer Länge von 40 Kilometern und einer Breite von bis zu 21 Kilometern beträgt seine Fläche rund 300 km²; damit ist er der größte See Südafrikas. In dem 200 Kilometer langen Küstenstreifen finden sich die zweithöchsten bewaldeten Sanddünen der Welt.

 

In den Feuchtgebieten leben die größten Krokodil- und Flusspferdbestände Südafrikas. In den Savannen im Westen leben Meerkatzen, Nashörner, Büffel und Leoparden. Zwischen den Seen und Sümpfen brüten Reiher, Pelikane und Störche. Der Park verfügt über die höchste Dichte an Amphibien, darunter viele geschützte Arten. Außerdem kann man auf der Meeresseite Buckelwale sehen.

 

In der Nähe des Nationalparks befindet sich der Ort St. Lucia, in dem es Übernachtungs-, Freizeit- und Einkaufsmöglichkeiten gibt. St. Lucia ist zudem Ausgangspunkt für Walbeobachtungen und Fahrten auf dem St.-Lucia-See zu den Flusspferden.

 

Der iSimangaliso Wetland Park wurde 1999 in die Liste des Weltnaturerbes der UNESCO aufgenommen.

 

2004 wurde die Mündung des Feuchtgebietes durch eine Sanddüne gesperrt, um eine Ölpest nach der Havarie des Frachters Jolly Rubino abzuwehren. Seitdem ist der Wasserspiegel erheblich unter Meeresniveau gesunken, so dass die Maßnahme noch nicht rückgängig gemacht werden konnte.

 

Bis 2007 hieß der Nationalpark Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park. Seit November 2007 wird er iSimangaliso Wetland Park genannt. isimangaliso bedeutet „Wunder“ und verweist auf ein Zulu-Sprichwort über Ujeqe, einem Hofbeamten des Zulu-König Shaka: Ubone isimanga esabonwa uJeqe kwelama Thonga. – „Wenn Du Wunder gesehen hast, dann hast Du dasselbe gesehen wie Ujeqe in Thonga.“ Thonga oder Tongaland ist ein historischer Name für die Region Maputaland, zu der der Park gehört.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Das Flusspferd (Hippopotamus amphibius), auch Nilpferd, Großflusspferd oder Hippopotamus genannt, ist ein großes, pflanzenfressendes Säugetier. Es lebt in Gewässernähe im mittleren und südlichen Afrika. Zusammen mit dem Breitmaulnashorn zählt es zu den schwersten landbewohnenden Säugetieren nach den Elefanten. Mit einem Gesamtbestand von rund 125.000 bis 150.000 Tieren und einem erwarteten weiteren Rückgang der Population ist die Art gefährdet.

 

Zusammen mit dem Zwergflusspferd und zahlreichen ausgestorbenen Arten bildet das Flusspferd die Familie der Flusspferde (Hippopotamidae). Obwohl sie „-pferde“ genannt werden, sind Flusspferde mit den Pferden nicht näher verwandt. Traditionell werden sie in die Ordnung der Paarhufer gestellt. Nach derzeitiger Lehrmeinung sind indessen die Wale die nächsten Verwandten der Flusspferde, die zusammen mit den paraphyletischen Paarhufern das Taxon der Cetartiodactyla bilden.

 

Die Bezeichnung Flusspferd ist eine Lehnübersetzung des griechischen Wortes ἱπποπόταμος hippopótamos (gebildet aus hippos „Pferd“ und potamos „Fluss“). Hippopotamus, der wissenschaftliche Name der Gattung, ist die latinisierte Form des griechischen Wortes. Der Namensbestandteil amphibius bezieht sich auf die amphibische Lebensweise im Wasser und an Land. Hiob Ludolf erklärte den griechischen Namen des Tieres mit der Ähnlichkeit des aus dem Wasser ragenden Kopfes mit einem Pferdekopf.

 

Der Name Nilpferd rührt daher, dass in der Literatur zunächst Flusspferde am Nil beschrieben wurden.

 

Flusspferde sind schwere Tiere mit einem fassförmigen Körper, einem wuchtigen Kopf und kurzen Gliedmaßen. Die kräftigen Beine enden in jeweils vier nach vorne ragenden Zehen, die mit Schwimmhäuten verbunden sind.

 

Flusspferde erreichen eine Kopf-Rumpf-Länge von 2,9 bis 5,1 Metern, wozu noch ein 40 bis 56 Zentimeter langer Schwanz kommt. Die Schulterhöhe beträgt 150 bis 165 Zentimeter. Das Gewicht schwankt zwischen 1000 und 4500 Kilogramm. Männchen sind generell größer und schwerer als Weibchen.

 

Die Haut der Tiere ist so spärlich mit kurzen, feinen Haaren bedeckt, dass sie nackt erscheint. Die Haut ist bräunlich, annähernd kupferfarben gefärbt, an der Oberseite ist sie dunkler und am Bauch purpurn. Auch im Gesicht, speziell um die Augen, Ohren und an den Wangen, können purpurne oder rosafarbene Flecken vorhanden sein.

 

Der Kopf des Flusspferds ist groß und wuchtig. Die Schnauze ist vorne sehr breit, was durch die Eckzahnfächer bedingt ist. Auf Höhe der Prämolaren ist sie stark eingeschnürt. Die Nasenöffnungen liegen erhöht und sind verschließbar. Auch die leicht hervorstehenden Augen und die bis zu 10 Zentimeter langen Ohren sitzen hoch am Kopf, so dass nur sie aus dem Wasser herausragen, wenn das Tier unter der Wasseroberfläche schwimmt.

 

Pro Kieferhälfte haben die Flusspferde zwei oder drei Schneidezähne, einen Eckzahn, vier Prämolaren und drei Molaren. Die Schneide- und Eckzähne wachsen das ganze Leben lang. Die Schneidezähne sind rundlich, glatt und weit voneinander entfernt. Die oberen Schneidezähne sind eher klein und nach unten gerichtet, die unteren sind länger (vor allem das innere Paar) und weisen nach vorne. Die Eckzähne sind hauerartig entwickelt, die unteren sind größer und können eine Gesamtlänge von 70 Zentimetern erreichen (von denen 30 Zentimeter aus dem Zahnfleisch ragen). Die Prämolaren haben in der Regel einen Höcker, die Molaren weisen zwei Paar Höcker auf, nur der hinterste drei. Flusspferde können ihre Kiefer bis zu ca. 150° aufklappen.

 

Lebensraum der Flusspferde sind Gebiete mit tieferen Seen und langsam fließenden Flüssen, die idealerweise mit Schilfgürteln umgeben sind. Zum Weiden benötigt es Grasgebiete in der näheren Umgebung der Gewässer. In Regenwäldern kommt es außer bei großen Flüssen in der Regel nicht vor.

 

Flusspferde verbringen praktisch den ganzen Tag schlafend oder ruhend, dazu halten sie sich im Wasser oder in Gewässernähe auf. Dabei tauchen sie oft bis auf die Augen, Ohren und Nasenlöcher unter. Obwohl Flusspferde gut an ein Leben im Wasser angepasst sind, sind sie schlechte Schwimmer. Meistens laufen sie auf dem Grund eines Gewässers entlang oder lassen sich vom Wasser tragen; ihre Fortbewegungsart wird manchmal als „Schwimmlaufen“ umschrieben. Wenn sie untertauchen, können sie ihre schlitzförmigen Nasenlöcher und Ohren verschließen. Tauchgänge sind in der Regel nicht länger als drei bis fünf Minuten, sie können aber länger unter Wasser bleiben, möglicherweise bis zu 30 Minuten. Im Schlaf erfolgt das Auftauchen ebenso automatisch wie das Luftholen.

 

Vorwiegend in der Nacht verlassen sie das schützende Wasser, um sich auf Nahrungssuche zu begeben. Dabei können sie sich mehrere Kilometer vom Wasser entfernen, um Grasflächen zu erreichen. Um zu ihren Weideflächen zu gelangen, bilden die Gruppen regelrechte Trampelpfade („Hippo Trails“). Trotz ihres behäbigen Äußeren können Flusspferde im Bedarfsfall schnell laufen, Schätzungen belaufen sich auf bis zu 50 Kilometer pro Stunde. Diese Geschwindigkeit halten sie aber nur wenige hundert Meter durch.

 

An Land muss ihre Haut feucht bleiben, sie wird rissig, wenn sie zu lange der Luft ausgesetzt ist. Spezielle Hautdrüsen sondern eine Flüssigkeit ab, die die Tiere vor der Austrocknung schützt. Diese zunächst farblose Flüssigkeit verfärbt sich innerhalb von ein paar Minuten rötlich und später bräunlich. Bestandteil dieser Flüssigkeit sind zwei saure Pigmente, hipposudoric acid und norhipposudoric acid genannt. Diese wirken sowohl als Sonnenschutz, indem sie UV-Strahlen absorbieren, als auch antibiotisch gegen verschiedene Krankheitserreger. Das rötliche Schimmern hat früher zu der Vermutung geführt, Flusspferde würden Blut schwitzen.

 

(Wikipedia)

Includes Spanish Leather and Europa pumps as well as other brands.

A narrow win for Shoreham over Ditchling at Buckingham Park this afternoon.

"The site of the Piarist Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross is located in Litomyšl on the slope east of the square. It includes the church of the Finding of the Holy Cross itself, the building of the Piarist dormitory, the garden and the building of the former Piarist gymnasium, which housed the Litomyšl Regional Museum from 1926. It is currently home to the Faculty of Restoration of the University of Pardubice.

 

The order of Piarists from Mikulov was brought to Litomyšl by Frebonia Eusebio from Pernštejn in 1640. The Piarists had three wings of the dormitory, a school and a church built. The Piarist gymnasium was opened in 1644. The last wing of the dormitory was built in 1681, part of the dormitory was a refectory with stucco and painting decoration and a chapel called Purgatory. A large garden with an orchard was established near the dormitory, which is part of the so-called Monastery Gardens complex. In the church, services were held mainly by Piarists and students of their schools. The Piarists left Litomyšl in 1948.

 

The one-nave church has a Latin cross plan with a semicircular finial. In the facade, there are two diagonally built three-story towers on a square plan, covered by articulated mines. Two semicircular chapels adjoin the main nave in a crossing. The church is vaulted with three fields of barrel vault with cut-outs above the longitudinal nave and a flat vault above the crossing. The entrance facade has three portals, it is girdled by a heavy cordon cornice, the main cornice has a balustrade with sculptures and a nani three-sided gable with a sun nimbus. The facade is convex and decorated with sculptures from the workshop of sculptor Matyáš Bernard Braun. Above the main portal is a sandstone cartouche under the crown with the coat of arms of the Trauttmansdorf family by Jiří Pacák and on the cornice an allegory of Hope and Faith from the workshop of Matyáš Bernard Braun. Above the side entrances are shields with the dates 1722 and 1892 and statues of putti. Between the towers there is an attic with a baluster railing and statues of St. Václav and Vojtěch.

 

Litomyšl (German: Leitomischel, Leutomischel) is a town in the Svitavy district of the Pardubice region on the Czech side of the former land border with Moravia. It is located 17 km northwest of the district town of Svitavy (which was itself the seat of the district until 1960) and 13 km southwest of Ústí nad Orlicí. Litomyšl covers an area of ​​less than 34 square kilometers in the central part of the Svitava Uplands on the Loučná River at an altitude of 330 meters. The cadastral area of ​​Litomyšle includes the territorially independent parts of Kornice, Nová Ves u Litomyšle, Pazucha, Pohodlí and Suchá. Approximately 10 thousand inhabitants live here.

 

The name of the city comes from the Old Bohemian personal name Ľutomysl. Litomyšl received city privileges in 1259 (confirmed in 1263) from King Přemysl Otakar II as a vassal town of the local Premonstratensian monastery, whose lily symbol was adopted by the town as its coat of arms. The development of the city is closely linked to its lordship - first ecclesiastical (Premonstratensian monastery, bishopric of Litomyšl), later secular (Kostková from Postupice, Pernštejn, Trauttmansdorff, Valdštejn-Vartenberk, Thurn-Taxis). A number of leading personalities were born or worked in the city, including Bedřich Smetana, Alois Jirásek, Bozena Němcová, Josef Váchal or Olbram Zoubek.

 

The castle hill and the city itself offer a combination of historical architecture (the Renaissance castle on the UNESCO World Heritage list, the Baroque Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross and the Gothic Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross) with modern artistic trends (revitalization and projects by Josef Pleskot ). A number of events and festivals take place in the city throughout the year (Smetanova Litomyšl, Litomyšl Days of Baroque Tradition, ArchiMyšl, MD Rettigová Gastronomic Festivals). Litomyšl is therefore often referred to as a "modern historical city".

 

Bohemia (Latin Bohemia, German Böhmen, Polish Czechy) is a region in the west of the Czech Republic. Previously, as a kingdom, they were the center of the Czech Crown. The root of the word Czech probably corresponds to the meaning of man. The Latin equivalent of Bohemia, originally Boiohaemum (literally "land of Battles"), which over time also influenced the names in other languages, is derived from the Celtic tribe of the Boios, who lived in this area from the 4th to the 1st century BC Bohemia on it borders Germany in the west, Austria in the south, Moravia in the east and Poland in the north. Geographically, they are bounded from the north, west and south by a chain of mountains, the highest of which are the Krkonoše Mountains, in which the highest mountain of Bohemia, Sněžka, is also located. The most important rivers are the Elbe and the Vltava, with the fertile Polabean Plain extending around the Elbe. The capital and largest city of Bohemia is Prague, other important cities include, for example, Pilsen, Karlovy Vary, Kladno, Ústí nad Labem, Liberec, Hradec Králové, Pardubice and České Budějovice, Jihlava also lies partly on the historical territory of Bohemia." - info from Wikipedia.

 

Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.

 

Now on Instagram.

 

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Includes teams from Deuel, Hot Springs, Madison, Parkston/Ethan/Hanson/Mt. Vernon. Permission granted for journalism outlets and educational purposes. Not for commercial use. Must be credited. Photo courtesy of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

©2021 SDPB

 

A view across the River Mondego towards the old town, Coimbra, Portugal

Kew Gardens is the world's largest collection of living plants. Founded in 1840 from the exotic garden at Kew Park in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, UK, its living collections include more than 30,000 different kinds of plants, while the herbarium, which is one of the largest in the world, has over seven million preserved plant specimens. The library contains more than 750,000 volumes, and the illustrations collection contains more than 175,000 prints and drawings of plants. It is one of London's top tourist attractions. In 2003, the gardens were put on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

 

Kew Gardens, together with the botanic gardens at Wakehurst Place in Sussex, are managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (brand name Kew), an internationally important botanical research and education institution that employs 750 staff, and is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

 

The Kew site, which has been dated as formally starting in 1759, though can be traced back to the exotic garden at Kew Park, formed by Lord Capel John of Tewkesbury, consists of 121 hectares (300 acres) of gardens and botanical glasshouses, four Grade I listed buildings and 36 Grade II listed structures, all set in an internationally significant landscape.

 

Kew Gardens has its own police force, Kew Constabulary, which has been in operation since 1847.

 

History

Kew, the area in which Kew Gardens are situated, consists mainly of the gardens themselves and a small surrounding community. Royal residences in the area which would later influence the layout and construction of the gardens began in 1299 when Edward I moved his court to a manor house in neighbouring Richmond (then called Sheen). That manor house was later abandoned; however, Henry V built Sheen Palace in 1501, which, under the name Richmond Palace, became a permanent royal residence for Henry VII. Around the start of the 16th century courtiers attending Richmond Palace settled in Kew and built large houses. Early royal residences at Kew included Mary Tudor's house, which was in existence by 1522 when a driveway was built to connect it to the palace at Richmond. Around 1600, the land that would become the gardens was known as Kew Field, a large field strip farmed by one of the new private estates.

 

The exotic garden at Kew Park, formed by Lord Capel John of Tewkesbury, was enlarged and extended by Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales, the widow of Frederick, Prince of Wales. The origins of Kew Gardens can be traced to the merging of the royal estates of Richmond and Kew in 1772. William Chambers built several garden structures, including the lofty Chinese pagoda built in 1761 which still remains. George III enriched the gardens, aided by William Aiton and Sir Joseph Banks. The old Kew Park (by then renamed the White House), was demolished in 1802. The "Dutch House" adjoining was purchased by George III in 1781 as a nursery for the royal children. It is a plain brick structure now known as Kew Palace.

 

Some early plants came from the walled garden established by William Coys at Stubbers in North Ockendon. The collections grew somewhat haphazardly until the appointment of the first collector, Francis Masson, in 1771. Capability Brown, who became England's most renowned landscape architect, applied for the position of master gardener at Kew, and was rejected.

 

In 1840 the gardens were adopted as a national botanical garden, in large part due to the efforts of the Royal Horticultural Society and its president William Cavendish. Under Kew's director, William Hooker, the gardens were increased to 30 hectares (75 acres) and the pleasure grounds, or arboretum, extended to 109 hectares (270 acres), and later to its present size of 121 hectares (300 acres). The first curator was John Smith.

 

The Palm House was built by architect Decimus Burton and iron-maker Richard Turner between 1844 and 1848, and was the first large-scale structural use of wrought iron. It is considered " the world's most important surviving Victorian glass and iron structure." The structure's panes of glass are all hand-blown. The Temperate House, which is twice as large as the Palm House, followed later in the 19th century. It is now the largest Victorian glasshouse in existence. Kew was the location of the successful effort in the 19th century to propagate rubber trees for cultivation outside South America.

 

In February 1913, the Tea House was burned down by suffragettes Olive Wharry and Lilian Lenton during a series of arson attacks in London.[19] Kew Gardens lost hundreds of trees in the Great Storm of 1987. From 1959 to 2007 Kew Gardens had the tallest flagpole in Britain. Made from a single Douglas-fir from Canada, it was given to mark both the centenary of the Canadian Province of British Columbia and the bicentenary of Kew Gardens. The flagpole was removed after damage by weather and woodpeckers.

 

In July 2003, the gardens were put on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

 

Features

Treetop walkway

A new treetop walkway opened in 2008. This walkway is 18 metres (59 ft) high and 200 metres (660 ft) long and takes visitors into the tree canopy of a woodland glade. Visitors can ascend and descend by stairs or by a lift. The floor of the walkway is made from perforated metal and flexes as it is walked upon. The entire structure sways in the wind.

  

Sackler Crossing

The Sackler Crossing bridge, made of granite and bronze, opened in May 2006. Designed by Buro Happold and John Pawson, it crosses the lake and is named in honour of philanthropists Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler.

 

The minimalist-styled bridge is designed as a sweeping double curve of black granite. The sides of the bridge are formed of bronze posts that give the impression, from certain angles, of forming a solid wall whereas from others, and to those on the bridge, they are clearly individual entities that allow a view of the water beyond.

 

The bridge forms part of a path designed to encourage visitors to visit more of the gardens than had hitherto been popular and connects the two art galleries, via the Temperate and Evolution Houses and the woodland glade, to the Minka House and the Bamboo Garden.

 

The crossing won a special award from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2008.

 

Vehicular tour

Kew Explorer is a service that takes a circular route around the gardens, provided by two 72-seater road trains that are fuelled by Calor Gas to minimise pollution. A commentary is provided by the driver and there are several stops.

   

Compost heap

Kew has one of the largest compost heaps in Europe, made from green and woody waste from the gardens and the manure from the stables of the Household Cavalry. The compost is mainly used in the gardens, but on occasion has been auctioned as part of a fundraising event for the gardens.

 

The compost heap is in an area of the gardens not accessible to the public, but a viewing platform, made of wood which had been illegally traded but seized by Customs officers in HMRC, has been erected to allow visitors to observe the heap as it goes through its cycle.

 

Guided walks

Free tours of the gardens are conducted daily by trained volunteers.

 

Plant houses

 

Alpine House

A narrow semicircular building of glass and steel latticework stands at the right, set amid an area of worked rock with a line of deciduous trees in the rear left, under a blue sky filled with large puffy white clouds. In front of it, curving slightly away to the left, is a wooden platform with benches on it and a thin metal guardrail in front of a low wet area with bright red flowers

 

In March 2006, the Davies Alpine House opened, the third version of an alpine house since 1887. Although only 16 metres (52 ft) long the apex of the roof arch extends to a height of 10 metres (33 ft) in order to allow the natural airflow of a building of this shape to aid in the all-important ventilation required for the type of plants to be housed.

 

The new house features a set of automatically operated blinds that prevent it overheating when the sun is too hot for the plants together with a system that blows a continuous stream of cool air over the plants. The main design aim of the house is to allow maximum light transmission. To this end the glass is of a special low iron type that allows 90 per cent of the ultraviolet light in sunlight to pass. It is attached by high tension steel cables so that no light is obstructed by traditional glazing bars.

 

To conserve energy the cooling air is not refrigerated but is cooled by being passed through a labyrinth of pipes buried under the house at a depth where the temperature remains suitable all year round. The house is designed so that the maximum temperature should not exceed 20 °C (68 °F).

 

Kew's collection of Alpine plants (defined as those that grow above the tree-line in their locale – ground level at the poles rising to over 2,000 metres (6,562 feet)), extends to over 7000. As the Alpine House can only house around 200 at a time the ones on show are regularly rotated.

  

The Nash Conservatory

Originally designed for Buckingham Palace, this was moved to Kew in 1836 by King William IV. With an abundance of natural light, the building is used various exhibitions, weddings, and private events. It is also now used to exhibit the winners of the photography competition.

  

Kew Orangery

The Orangery was designed by Sir William Chambers, and was completed in 1761. It measures 28 by 10 metres (92 by 33 ft). It was found to be too dark for its intended purpose of growing citrus plants and they were moved out in 1841. After many changes of use, it is currently used as a restaurant.

  

The Palm House and Parterre

The Palm House (1844–1848) was the result of cooperation between architect Decimus Burton and iron founder Richard Turner,[28] and continues upon the glass house design principles developed by John Claudius Loudon[29][30] and Joseph Paxton. A space frame of wrought iron arches, held together by horizontal tubular structures containing long prestressed cables,[30][31] supports glass panes which were originally[28] tinted green with copper oxide to reduce the significant heating effect. The 19m high central nave is surrounded by a walkway at 9m height, allowing visitors a closer look upon the palm tree crowns. In front of the Palm House on the east side are the Queen's Beasts, ten statues of animals bearing shields. They are Portland stone replicas of originals done by James Woodford and were placed here in 1958.[32]

  

Princess of Wales Conservatory

Kew's third major conservatory, the Princess of Wales Conservatory, designed by architect Gordon Wilson, was opened in 1987 by Diana, Princess of Wales in commemoration of her predecessor Augusta's associations with Kew. In 1989 the conservatory received the Europa Nostra award for conservation.[34] The conservatory houses ten computer-controlled micro-climatic zones, with the bulk of the greenhouse volume composed of Dry Tropics and Wet Tropics plants. Significant numbers of orchids, water lilies, cacti, lithops, carnivorous plants and bromeliads are housed in the various zones. The cactus collection also extends outside the conservatory where some hardier species can be found.

 

The conservatory has an area of 4499 square metres. As it is designed to minimise the amount of energy taken to run it, the cooler zones are grouped around the outside and the more tropical zones are in the central area where heat is conserved. The glass roof extends down to the ground, giving the conservatory a distinctive appearance and helping to maximise the use of the sun's energy.

 

During the construction of the conservatory a time capsule was buried. It contains the seeds of basic crops and endangered plant species and key publications on conservation.

 

Rhizotron

 

The Rhizotron

A rhizotron opened at the same time as the "treetop walkway", giving visitors the opportunity to investigate what happens beneath the ground where trees grow. The rhizotron is essentially a single gallery containing a set of large bronze abstract castings which contain LCD screens that carry repeating loops of information about the life of trees.

 

Temperate House

 

Inside the Temperate House

The Temperate House, currently closed for restoration, is a greenhouse that has twice the floor area of the Palm House and is the world's largest surviving Victorian glass structure. When in use it contained plants and trees from all the temperate regions of the world. It was commissioned in 1859 and designed by architect Decimus Burton and ironfounder Richard Turner. Covering 4880 square metres, it rises to a height of 19 metres. Intended to accommodate Kew's expanding collection of hardy and temperate plants, it took 40 years to construct, during which time costs soared. The building was restored during 2014 - 15 by Donald Insall Associates, based on their conservation management plan.

 

There is a viewing gallery in the central section from which visitors were able to look down on that part of the collection.

 

Waterlily House

The Waterlily House is the hottest and most humid of the houses at Kew and contains a large pond with varieties of water lily, surrounded by a display of economically important heat-loving plants. It closes during the winter months.

 

It was built to house the Victoria amazonica, the largest of the Nymphaeaceae family of water lilies. This plant was originally transported to Kew in phials of clean water and arrived in February 1849, after several prior attempts to transport seeds and roots had failed. Although various other members of the Nymphaeaceae family grew well, the house did not suit the Victoria, purportedly because of a poor ventilation system, and this specimen was moved to another, smaller, house.

 

The ironwork for this project was provided by Richard Turner and the initial construction was completed in 1852. The heat for the house was initially obtained by running a flue from the nearby Palm House but it was later equipped with its own boiler.

 

Ornamental buildings

 

The Pagoda

In the south-east corner of Kew Gardens stands the Great Pagoda (by Sir William Chambers), erected in 1762, from a design in imitation of the Chinese Ta. The lowest of the ten octagonal storeys is 15 m (49 ft) in diameter. From the base to the highest point is 50 m (164 ft).

 

Each storey finishes with a projecting roof, after the Chinese manner, originally covered with ceramic tiles and adorned with large dragons; a story is still propagated that they were made of gold and were reputedly sold by George IV to settle his debts. In fact the dragons were made of wood painted gold, and simply rotted away with the ravages of time. The walls of the building are composed of brick. The staircase, 253 steps, is in the centre of the building. The Pagoda was closed to the public for many years, but was reopened for the summer months of 2006 and is now open permanently. During the Second World War holes were cut in each floor to allow for drop-testing of model bombs.

  

The Japanese Gateway (Chokushi-Mon)

Built for the Japan-British Exhibition (1910) and moved to Kew in 1911, the Chokushi-Mon ("Imperial Envoy's Gateway") is a four-fifths scale replica of the karamon (gateway) of the Nishi Hongan-ji temple in Kyoto. It lies about 140 m west of the Pagoda and is surrounded by a reconstruction of a traditional Japanese garden.

  

The Minka House

Following the Japan 2001 festival, Kew acquired a Japanese wooden house called a minka. It was originally erected in around 1900 in a suburb of Okazaki. Japanese craftsmen reassembled the framework and British builders who had worked on the Globe Theatre added the mud wall panels.

 

Work on the house started on 7 May 2001 and, when the framework was completed on 21 May, a Japanese ceremony was held to mark what was considered an auspicious occasion. Work on the building of the house was completed in November 2001 but the internal artefacts were not all in place until 2006.

 

The Minka house is located within the bamboo collection in the west central part of the gardens.

  

Queen Charlotte's Cottage

Within the conservation area is a cottage that was given to Queen Charlotte as a wedding present on her marriage to George III. It has been restored by Historic Royal Palaces and is separately administered by them.

It is open to the public on weekends and bank holidays during the summer.

 

Kew Palace

Kew Palace is the smallest of the British royal palaces. It was built by Samuel Fortrey, a Dutch merchant in around 1631. It was later purchased by George III. The construction method is known as Flemish bond and involves laying the bricks with long and short sides alternating. This and the gabled front give the construction a Dutch appearance.

To the rear of the building is the "Queen's Garden" which includes a collection of plants believed to have medicinal qualities. Only plants that were extant in England by the 17th century are grown in the garden.

The building underwent significant restoration, with leading conservation architects Donald Insall Associates, before being reopened to the public in 2006.

It is administered separately from Kew Gardens, by Historic Royal Palaces.

In front of the palace is a sundial, which was given to Kew Gardens in 1959 to commemorate a royal visit. It was sculpted by Martin Holden and is based on an earlier sculpture by Thomas Tompion, a celebrated 17th century clockmaker.

 

Galleries and Museums

 

The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanic Art

The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanic Art opened in April 2008, and holds paintings from Kew's and Dr Shirley Sherwood's collections, many of which had never been displayed to the public before. It features paintings by artists such as Georg D. Ehret, the Bauer brothers, Pierre-Joseph Redouté and Walter Hood Fitch. The paintings and drawings are cycled on a six-monthly basis. The gallery is linked to the Marianne North Gallery (see above).

 

Near the Palm House is a building known as "Museum No. 1" (even though it is the only museum on the site), which was designed by Decimus Burton and opened in 1857. Housing Kew's economic botany collections including tools, ornaments, clothing, food and medicines, its aim was to illustrate human dependence on plants. The building was refurbished in 1998. The upper two floors are now an education centre and the ground floor houses the "Plants+People" exhibition which highlights the variety of plants and the ways that people use them.

 

Admission to the galleries and museum is free after paying admission to the gardens. The International Garden Photographer of the Year Exhibition is an annual event with an indoor display of entries during the summer months.

 

The Marianne North Gallery of Botanic Art

The Marianne North Gallery was built in the 1880s to house the paintings of Marianne North, an MP's daughter who travelled alone to North and South America, South Africa and many parts of Asia, at a time when women rarely did so, to paint plants. The gallery has 832 of her paintings. The paintings were left to Kew by the artist and a condition of the bequest is that the layout of the paintings in the gallery may not be altered.

 

The gallery had suffered considerable structural degradation since its creation and during a period from 2008 to 2009 major restoration and refurbishment took place, with works lead by with leading conservation architects Donald Insall Associates. During the time the gallery was closed the opportunity was also taken to restore the paintings to their original condition. The gallery reopened in October 2009.

 

The gallery originally opened in 1882 and is the only permanent exhibition in Great Britain dedicated to the work of one woman.

 

Plant collections

 

The plant collections include the Aquatic Garden, which is near the Jodrell laboratory. The Aquatic Garden, which celebrated its centenary in 2009, provides conditions for aquatic and marginal plants. The large central pool holds a selection of summer-flowering water lilies and the corner pools contain plants such as reed mace, bulrushes, phragmites and smaller floating aquatic species.

 

The Arboretum, which covers over half of the total area of the site, contains over 14,000 trees of many thousands of varieties. The Bonsai Collection is housed in a dedicated greenhouse near the Jodrell laboratory. The Cacti Collection is housed in and around the Princess of Wales Conservatory. The Carnivorous Plant collection is housed in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. The Grass Garden was created on its current site in the early 1980s to display ornamental and economic grasses; it was redesigned and replanted between 1994 and 1997. It is currently undergoing a further redesign and planting. Over 580 species of grasses are displayed.

 

The Herbaceous Grounds (Order Beds) were devised in the late 1860s by Sir Joseph Hooker, then director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, so that botany students could learn to recognise plants and experience at first hand the diversity of the plant kingdom. The collection is organised into family groups. Its name arose because plant families were known as natural orders in the 19th century. Over the main path is a rose pergola built in 1959 to mark the bicentennial of the Gardens. It supports climber and rambling roses selected for the length and profusion of flowering.

 

The Orchid Collection is housed in two climate zones within the Princess of Wales Conservatory. To maintain an interesting display the plants are changed regularly so that those on view are generally flowering. The Rock Garden, originally built of limestone in 1882, is now constructed of Sussex sandstone from West Hoathly, Sussex. The rock garden is divided into six geographic regions: Europe, Mediterranean and Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, North America, and South America. There are currently 2,480 different "accessions" growing in the garden.

 

The Rose Garden, based upon original designs by William Nesfield, is behind the Palm House, and was replanted between 2009 and 2010 using the original design from 1848. It is intended as an ornamental display rather than a collection of a particularly large number of varieties. Other collections and specialist areas include the rhododendron dell, the azalea garden, the bamboo garden, the juniper collection, the berberis dell, the lilac garden, the magnolia collection, and the fern collection.

  

The Palm House and lake to Victoria Gate

The world's smallest water-lily, Nymphaea thermarum, was saved from extinction when it was grown from seed at Kew, in 2009.

 

Herbarium

The Kew herbarium is one of the largest in the world with approximately 7 million specimens used primarily for taxonomic study. The herbarium is rich in types for all regions of the world, especially the tropics.

 

Library and archives

The library and archives at Kew are one of the world's largest botanical collections, with over half a million items, including books, botanical illustrations, photographs, letters and manuscripts, periodicals, and maps. The Jodrell Library has been merged with the Economic Botany and Mycology Libraries and all are now housed in the Jodrell Laboratory.

 

Forensic horticulture

Kew provides advice and guidance to police forces around the world where plant material may provide important clues or evidence in cases. In one famous case the forensic science department at Kew were able to ascertain that the contents of the stomach of a headless corpse found in the river Thames contained a highly toxic African bean.

 

Economic Botany

 

The Sustainable Uses of Plants group (formerly the Centre for Economic Botany), focus on the uses of plants in the United Kingdom and the world's arid and semi-arid zones. The Centre is also responsible for curation of the Economic Botany Collection, which contains more than 90,000 botanical raw materials and ethnographic artefacts, some of which are on display in the Plants + People exhibit in Museum No. 1. The Centre is now located in the Jodrell Laboratory.

 

Jodrell Laboratory

The original Jodrell laboratory, named after Mr T. J. Phillips Jodrell who funded it, was established in 1877 and consisted of four research rooms and an office. Originally research was conducted into plant physiology but this was gradually superseded by botanical research. In 1934 an artists' studio and photographic darkroom were added, highlighting the importance of botanical illustration. In 1965, following increasing overcrowding, a new building was constructed and research expanded into seed collection for plant conservation. The biochemistry section also expanded to facilitate research into secondary compounds that could be derived from plants for medicinal purposes. In 1994 the centre was expanded again, tripling in size, and a decade later it was further expanded by the addition of the Wolfson Wing.

 

Kew Constabulary

Main article: Kew Constabulary

The gardens have their own police force, Kew Constabulary, which has been in operation since 1847. Formerly known as the Royal Botanic Gardens Constabulary, it is a small, specialised constabulary of two sergeants and 12 officers, who patrol the grounds in a green painted electric buggy. The Kew Constables are attested under section 3 of the Parks Regulation Act 1872, which gives them the same powers as the Metropolitan Police within the land belonging to the gardens.

 

Media

A number of films, documentaries and short videos have been made about Kew Gardens.

 

They include:

 

a short colour film World Garden by cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth in 1942

three series of A Year at Kew (2007), filmed for BBC television and released on DVD

Cruickshank on Kew: The Garden That Changed the World, a 2009 BBC documentary, presented by Dan Cruickshank, exploring the history of the relationship between Kew Gardens and the British Empire

David Attenborough's 2012 Kingdom of Plants 3D

a 2003 episode of the Channel 4 TV series Time Team, presented by Tony Robinson, that searched for the remains of George III's palace

a 2004 episode of the BBC Four series Art of the Garden which looked at the building of the Great Palm House in the 1840s.

"Kew on a Plate", a TV programme showing the kinds of produce grown at Kew Gardens and how they can be prepared in a kitchen.

In 1921 Virginia Woolf published her short story "Kew Gardens", which gives brief descriptions of four groups of people as they pass by a flowerbed.

 

Access and transport

 

Elizabeth Gate

Kew Gardens is accessible by a number of gates. Currently, there are four gates into Kew Gardens that are open to the public: the Elizabeth Gate, which is situated at the west end of Kew Green, and was originally called the Main Gate before being renamed in 2012 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II; the Brentford Gate, which faces the River Thames; the Victoria Gate (named after Queen Victoria), situated in Kew Road, which is also the location of the Visitors' Centre; and the Lion Gate, also situated in Kew Road.

 

Other gates that are not open to the public include Unicorn Gate, Cumberland Gate and Jodrell Gate (all in Kew Road) and Isleworth Gate (facing the Thames).

  

Victoria Gate

Kew Gardens station, a London Underground and National Rail station opened in 1869 and served by both the District line and the London Overground services on the North London Line, is the nearest train station to the gardens – only 400 metres (1,300 ft) along Lichfield Road from the Victoria Gate entrance. Built by the London and South Western Railway, the Historic England listed building is one of the few remaining original 19th-century stations on the North London Line, and the only station on the London Underground with a pub on the platform (though the platform entrance is now closed off). Kew Bridge station, on the other side of the Thames, 800 metres from the Elizabeth Gate entrance via Kew Bridge, is served by South West Trains from Clapham Junction and Waterloo.

 

London Buses route 65, between Ealing Broadway and Kingston, stops near the Lion Gate and Victoria Gate entrances; route 391, between Fulham and Richmond, stops near Kew Gardens station; while routes 237 and 267 stop at Kew Bridge station.

 

London River Services operate from Westminster during the summer, stopping at Kew Pier, 500 metres (1,600 ft) from Elizabeth Gate. Cycle racks are located just inside the Victoria Gate, Elizabeth Gate and Brentford Gate entrances. There is a 300-space car park outside Brentford Gate, reached via Ferry Lane, as well as some free, though restricted, on-street parking on Kew Road.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kew_Gardens

 

Brecon Beacons National Park, officially named Bannau Brycheiniog National Park is a national park in Wales. It is named after the Brecon Beacons (Welsh: Bannau Brycheiniog), the mountain range at its centre. The national park includes the highest mountain in South Wales, Pen y Fan, which has an elevation of 886 metres (2,907 ft).

 

The national park has a total area of 1,344 square kilometres (519 sq mi). The Brecon Beacons and Fforest Fawr uplands form the central section of the park. To the east are the Black Mountains, which extend beyond the national park boundary into England, and to the west is the similarly named but distinct Black Mountain range. These ranges share much of the same basic geology, the southerly dip of the rock strata leading to north-facing escarpments. The highest peak of the Black Mountains is Waun Fach (811 metres (2,661 ft)), and Fan Brycheiniog (802.5 metres (2,633 ft)) is the highest of the Black Mountain.

 

The park was founded in 1957 and is the third and most recently designated national park in Wales, after Snowdonia (Eryri) and the Pembrokeshire Coast. It is visited by approximately 4.4 million people each year.

 

The name Bannau Brycheiniog is first attested in the sixteenth century, and 'Brecon Beacons' first occurs in the eighteenth century as "Brecknock Beacons". Bannau Brycheiniog derives from the Welsh bannau, "peaks", and Brycheiniog, the name of an early medieval kingdom which covered the area. The English name is derived from the Welsh one; in the eleventh century the town of Brecon is recorded as 'Brecheniauc', which became "Brecknock" and "Brecon".

 

In a paragraph on Brecknockshire, John Leland's 1536–1539 Itinerary notes that:

 

Blak Montayne is most famose, for he strecchith, as I have lerned, his rootes on one side within a iiii. or v. myles of Monemuth, and on the other side as nere to Cairmerdin (Carmarthen). Though this be al one montayne, yet many partes of him have sundry names.

 

Leland ascribes the name "Banne Brekeniauc" to the hills surrounding "Artures Hille" (Pen-y-Fan), also calling the range the "Banne Hilles".

 

The term "Brecknock Beacons" was used in the eighteenth century and referred to the area around Pen y Fan, which was itself was sometimes called 'the (Brecknock) Beacon'. For instance, Emanuel Bowen's A New and accurate map of South Wales (1729) labels the peak as 'The Vann or Brecknock Beacon', John Clark's 1794 General View of the Agriculture of the County of Brecknock refers to 'the Vann, or Brecknock Beacon, the undisputed sovereign of all the mountains in South Wales', and an 1839 tithe map of Cantref parish labels the mountain simply 'Beacon'. A slightly wider definition was used in 1809 by the Breconshire historian Theophilus Jones, who wrote that 'of the lofty summits of the Brecknock Beacons, that most southwards is the lowest, and the other two nearly of a height, they are sometimes called Cader Arthur or Arthur's chair'. This implies that "Brecknock Beacons" referred to only three summits, including Pen y Fan and Corn Du.

 

To distinguish the Brecons Beacons range from the national park, the range is sometimes called the "Central Beacons". In April 2023, the national park changed its name to Bannau Brycheiniog in English, abandoning the previous English name Brecon Beacons.

 

The area covered by the national park stretches from Llandeilo in the west to Hay-on-Wye in the northeast and Pontypool in the southeast, covering 519 square miles (1,340 km2). It principally consists of three mountain ranges; the Black Mountains in the east, the Brecon Beacons and Fforest Fawr uplands in the centre, and the Black Mountain in the west. The park is entirely within Wales and therefore excludes the Olchon Valley and Black Hill, which are part of the Black Mountains but in the English county of Herefordshire.

 

The central Brecon Beacons range comprises six main peaks, which from west to east are: Corn Du, 873 metres (2,864 ft); Pen y Fan, the highest peak, 886 metres (2,907 ft); Cribyn, 795 metres (2,608 ft); Fan y Bîg, 719 metres (2,359 ft); Bwlch y Ddwyallt, 754 metres (2,474 ft); and Waun Rydd, 769 metres (2,523 ft). These summits form a long ridge, and the sections joining the first four form a horseshoe shape around the head of the Taf Fechan, which flows away to the southeast. To the northeast of the ridge, interspersed with long parallel spurs, are four cirques (Welsh: cwm) or four round-headed valleys, which from west to east these are Cwm Sere, Cwm Cynwyn, Cwm Oergwm and Cwm Cwareli.

 

The Black Mountains in the east are clearly separated from the central Beacons range by the Usk valley between Brecon and Abergavenny. Waun Fach (811 metres (2,661 ft)) is the highest mountain in this range.

 

The Brecon Beacons range, Fforest Fawr, and Black Mountain form a continuous massif of high ground above 300 metres (1000'). The A470 road forms the approximate boundary between the central Beacons and Fforest Fawr. The highest peak of the Black Mountain is Fan Brycheiniog, at 802.5 metres (2,633 ft). There are notable waterfalls in this area, including the 90-foot (27 m) Henrhyd Falls and the Ystradfellte falls to the south of Fforest Fawr. The Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system is on the southwestern edge of Fforest Fawr.

 

Numerous town and community councils operate within these areas and include the town councils for Brecon and Hay on Wye and the community councils for Cefn-coed-y-cymmer, Llanfihangel Cwmdu with Bwlch and Cathedine, Llangattock, Llangors, Llanthony, Llywel, Pontsticill, Pontsarn and Vaynor, Talybont-on-Usk, Trallong, Trecastle and Ystradfellte.

 

Main article: Geology of Brecon Beacons National Park

The geology of the national park consists of a thick succession of sedimentary rocks laid down from the late Ordovician through the Silurian and Devonian to the late Carboniferous period. The rock sequence most closely associated with the park is the Old Red Sandstone from which most of its mountains are formed. The older parts of the succession, in the northwest, were folded and faulted during the Caledonian orogeny. Further faulting and folding, particularly in the south of the park is associated with the Variscan orogeny.

 

The area was inhabited during the Neolithic and the succeeding Bronze Age, the most obvious legacy of the latter being the numerous burial cairns which adorn the hills of the centre and west of the National Park. There are remnants of round barrows on Fan Brycheiniog, Pen y Fan and Corn Du. The former was excavated in 2002–4 and the ashes in the central cist dated to about 2000 BCE using radiocarbon dating. A wreath of meadowsweet was likely placed in the burial.

 

Over twenty hillforts were established in the area during the Iron Age. The largest, and indeed the largest in South Wales, were the pair of forts atop y Garn Goch near Bethlehem, Carmarthenshire – y Gaer Fawr and y Gaer Fach – literally "the big fort" and "the little fort". The forts are thought to have once been trading and political centres.

 

When the Romans came to Wales in 43 CE, they stationed more than 600 soldiers in the area. Y Gaer, near the town of Brecon was their main base. During the Norman Conquest many castles were erected throughout the park, including Carreg Cennen Castle. Brecon Castle is of Norman origin.

 

There are many old tracks which were used over the centuries by drovers to take their cattle and geese to market in England. The drovers brought back gorse seed, which they sowed to provide food for their sheep.

 

The area played a significant role during the Industrial Revolution as various raw materials including limestone, silica sand and ironstone were quarried for transport southwards to the furnaces of the industrialising South Wales Valleys.

 

The Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre was opened in 1966 to help visitors understand and enjoy the area. This western half of the national park gained European and global status in 2005 as Fforest Fawr Geopark, which includes the Black Mountain, the historic extent of Fforest Fawr, and much of the Brecon Beacons range and surrounding lowlands. The entire national park achieved the status of being an International Dark Sky Reserve in February 2013.

 

In 2006 and 2007, controversy surrounded the government decision to build the South Wales Gas Pipeline through the park, the National Park Authority calling the decision a "huge blow".

 

Most of the national park is bare, grassy moorland grazed by Welsh mountain ponies and Welsh mountain sheep, with scattered forestry plantations, and pasture in the valleys. Common ravens, red kites, peregrine falcons, northern wheatears, ring ouzels, and the rare merlin breeds in the park.

 

The Brecon Beacons National Park was established in 1957, the third of the three Welsh parks after Snowdonia in 1951 and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in 1952. It covers an area of 519 square miles (1,340 km2), which is much larger than the Brecon Beacons range. Over half of the park is in the south of Powys; the remainder of the park is split between northwestern Monmouthshire, eastern Carmarthenshire, northern Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil, and very small areas of Blaenau Gwent, and Torfaen.

 

The park is managed by Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, a special purpose local authority with responsibilities to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the park, aid visitors' enjoyment of the park, and support the economic and social well-being of local communities. The National Park Authority has 18 members, twelve are appointed by the area's local authorities and six by the Welsh Government. Of the local authority members six are appointed by Powys County Council, and one each by the councils of Blaenau Gwent, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Torfaen. There is also a standards committee with three members. Between 1995 and 2020 the park authority had 24 members, sixteen appointed by the local authorities and eight by the government.

 

Outdoor activities in Brecon Beacons National Park include walking, cycling, mountain biking and horse riding, as well as sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, fishing, rock climbing, hang-gliding, caravanning, camping and caving. A long-distance cycling route, the Taff Trail, passes over the Beacons on its way from Brecon to Cardiff, and in 2005 the first walk to span the entire length of the park was opened. The 99-mile (159 km) route, called the Beacons Way, runs from Abergavenny via The Skirrid (Ysgyryd Fawr) in the east and ends in the village of Llangadog in Carmarthenshire in the west.

 

A railway with narrow gauge trains is run by the Brecon Mountain Railway. The railway is a 1 ft 11+3⁄4 in (603 mm) narrow gauge tourist railway on the south side of the Brecon Beacons. It climbs northwards from Pant along the full length of the Pontsticill Reservoir (also called 'Taf Fechan' reservoir by Welsh Water) and continues past the adjoining Pentwyn Reservoir to Torpantau railway station. The railway's starting point at Pant is located two miles (3 km) north of Merthyr Tydfil town centre.

 

Mountain rescue in south Wales is provided by five volunteer groups, with the police having overall command. In serious situations they are aided by Royal Navy or Royal Air Force helicopters from RM Chivenor or RAF Valley. The five groups are:

 

CBMRT – Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team

BMRT – Brecon Mountain Rescue Team

LMRT – Longtown Mountain Rescue Team based in the east

WBMSART – Western Beacons Mountain Search and Rescue Team

SARDA South Wales – Search and Rescue Dog Association covering South and Mid Wales

The groups are funded primarily by donations. Their work is not restricted to mountain rescue – they frequently assist the police in their search for missing or vulnerable people in the community.

 

The Brecon Beacons are used for training members of the UK armed forces and military reservists. The Army’s Infantry Battle School is located at Brecon, and the Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service use the area to test the fitness of applicants. An exercise unique to the area is the 'Fan dance', which takes place on Pen y Fan. In July 2013 three soldiers died from overheating or heatstroke on an SAS selection exercise. An army captain had been found dead on Corn Du earlier in the year after training in freezing weather for the SAS.

 

On 17 April 2023 it was announced that the National Park had officially adopted the name Bannau Brycheiniog in both Welsh and English. The new official English name became Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, or "the Bannau" for short. The change took effect on the same day, the 66th anniversary of the park's designation.

 

The authority stated that the change was to promote the area's culture and heritage, as well as part of a wider overhaul of how the park is managed and to address environmental issues, such as climate change, and removing references to carbon-emitting beacons. The plan for the park to become net zero by 2035 and to address environmental concerns was supported by Welsh actor Michael Sheen. The change was described by a local as "pride" for Welsh-speakers, while others admitted both names would likely continue to be used. As part of the name change, the park also adopted a different logo, replacing its previous logo showing a lit beacon. Plaid Cymru's Welsh language spokesperson supported the move, while the Welsh Liberal Democrats welcomed the decision, with its leader Jane Dodds comparing it to movements in New Zealand. Conservative MP James Evans described the move as "not a priority" for locals and raised concerns over cost, and the local Conservative MP, Fay Jones, argued that the English name could have been kept. Upon the news of the name change the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated "I'm going to keep calling it the Brecon Beacons, and I would imagine most people will do that too."

 

Catherine Mealing-Jones, the park authority's CEO, stated: "the name Brecon Beacons doesn't make any sense – the translation Brecon Beacons doesn't really mean anything in Welsh", adding that "a massive carbon-burning brazier is not a good look for an environmental organisation". Mealing-Jones admitted that people can refer to the park by either name, and that the change "isn't compulsory", but hoped the emphasis on the Welsh name would encourage people to use the term. She stated: "We’d always had the name Bannau Brycheiniog as the Welsh translation and we wanted to be celebrating Welsh people, Welsh culture, Welsh food, Welsh farming".

 

In May 2023 more than 50 local businesses in the national park campaigned for the "Brecon Beacons" name be restored alongside the Welsh name as a dual name. The campaigners say the decision did not respect Wales as a bilingual nation as it did not treat English and Welsh languages equally, and ambassadors of the park were not consulted on the name change. A digital marketer dismissed the campaigner's argument, stating tourism would be not impacted, and the national park authority stated they are prioritising Welsh names going forward.

 

Carmarthenshire is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as the "Garden of Wales" and is also home to the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

 

Carmarthenshire has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The county town was founded by the Romans, and the region was part of the Kingdom of Deheubarth in the High Middle Ages. After invasion by the Normans in the 12th and 13th centuries it was subjugated, along with other parts of Wales, by Edward I of England. There was further unrest in the early 15th century, when the Welsh rebelled under Owain Glyndŵr, and during the English Civil War.

 

Carmarthenshire is mainly an agricultural county, apart from the southeastern part which was once heavily industrialised with coal mining, steel-making and tin-plating. In the north of the county, the woollen industry was very important in the 18th century. The economy depends on agriculture, forestry, fishing and tourism. West Wales was identified in 2014 as the worst-performing region in the United Kingdom along with the South Wales Valleys with the decline in its industrial base, and the low profitability of the livestock sector.

 

Carmarthenshire, as a tourist destination, offers a wide range of outdoor activities. Much of the coast is fairly flat; it includes the Millennium Coastal Park, which extends for ten miles to the west of Llanelli; the National Wetlands Centre; a championship golf course; and the harbours of Burry Port and Pembrey. The sandy beaches at Llansteffan and Pendine are further west. Carmarthenshire has a number of medieval castles, hillforts and standing stones. The Dylan Thomas Boathouse is at Laugharne.

 

Stone tools found in Coygan Cave, near Laugharne indicate the presence of hominins, probably neanderthals, at least 40,000 years ago, though, as in the rest of the British Isles, continuous habitation by modern humans is not known before the end of the Younger Dryas, around 11,500 years BP. Before the Romans arrived in Britain, the land now forming the county of Carmarthenshire was part of the kingdom of the Demetae who gave their name to the county of Dyfed; it contained one of their chief settlements, Moridunum, now known as Carmarthen. The Romans established two forts in South Wales, one at Caerwent to control the southeast of the country, and one at Carmarthen to control the southwest. The fort at Carmarthen dates from around 75 AD, and there is a Roman amphitheatre nearby, so this probably makes Carmarthen the oldest continually occupied town in Wales.

 

Carmarthenshire has its early roots in the region formerly known as Ystrad Tywi ("Vale of [the river] Tywi") and part of the Kingdom of Deheubarth during the High Middle Ages, with the court at Dinefwr. After the Normans had subjugated England they tried to subdue Wales. Carmarthenshire was disputed between the Normans and the Welsh lords and many of the castles built around this time, first of wood and then stone, changed hands several times. Following the Conquest of Wales by Edward I, the region was reorganized by the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 into Carmarthenshire. Edward I made Carmarthen the capital of this new county, establishing his courts of chancery and his exchequer there, and holding the Court of Great Sessions in Wales in the town.

 

The Normans transformed Carmarthen into an international trading port, the only staple port in Wales. Merchants imported food and French wines and exported wool, pelts, leather, lead and tin. In the late medieval period the county's fortunes varied, as good and bad harvests occurred, increased taxes were levied by England, there were episodes of plague, and recruitment for wars removed the young men. Carmarthen was particularly susceptible to plague as it was brought in by flea-infested rats on board ships from southern France.

 

In 1405, Owain Glyndŵr captured Carmarthen Castle and several other strongholds in the neighbourhood. However, when his support dwindled, the principal men of the county returned their allegiance to King Henry V. During the English Civil War, Parliamentary forces under Colonel Roland Laugharne besieged and captured Carmarthen Castle but later abandoned the cause, and joined the Royalists. In 1648, Carmarthen Castle was recaptured by the Parliamentarians, and Oliver Cromwell ordered it to be slighted.

 

The first industrial canal in Wales was built in 1768 to convey coal from the Gwendraeth Valley to the coast, and the following year, the earliest tramroad bridge was on the tramroad built alongside the canal. During the Napoleonic Wars (1799–1815) there was increased demand for coal, iron and agricultural goods, and the county prospered. The landscape changed as much woodland was cleared to make way for more food production, and mills, power stations, mines and factories sprang up between Llanelli and Pembrey. Carmarthenshire was at the centre of the Rebecca Riots around 1840, when local farmers and agricultural workers dressed as women and rebelled against higher taxes and tolls.

 

On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, Carmarthenshire joined Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire in the new county of Dyfed; Carmarthenshire was divided into three districts: Carmarthen, Llanelli and Dinefwr. Twenty-two years later this amalgamation was reversed when, under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, the original county boundaries were reinstated.

 

The county is bounded to the north by Ceredigion, to the east by Powys (historic county Brecknockshire), Neath Port Talbot (historic county Glamorgan) and Swansea (also Glamorgan), to the south by the Bristol Channel and to the west by Pembrokeshire. Much of the county is upland and hilly. The Black Mountain range dominates the east of the county, with the lower foothills of the Cambrian Mountains to the north across the valley of the River Towy. The south coast contains many fishing villages and sandy beaches. The highest point (county top) is the minor summit of Fan Foel, height 781 metres (2,562 ft), which is a subsidiary top of the higher mountain of Fan Brycheiniog, height 802.5 metres (2,633 ft) (the higher summit, as its name suggests, is actually across the border in Brecknockshire/Powys). Carmarthenshire is the largest historic county by area in Wales.

 

The county is drained by several important rivers which flow southwards into the Bristol Channel, especially the River Towy, and its several tributaries, such as the River Cothi. The Towy is the longest river flowing entirely within Wales. Other rivers include the Loughor (which forms the eastern boundary with Glamorgan), the River Gwendraeth and the River Taf. The River Teifi forms much of the border between Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, and there are a number of towns in the Teifi Valley which have communities living on either side of the river and hence in different counties. Carmarthenshire has a long coastline which is deeply cut by the estuaries of the Loughor in the east and the Gwendraeth, Tywi and Taf, which enter the sea on the east side of Carmarthen Bay. The coastline includes notable beaches such as Pendine Sands and Cefn Sidan sands, and large areas of foreshore are uncovered at low tide along the Loughor and Towy estuaries.

 

The principal towns in the county are Ammanford, Burry Port, Carmarthen, Kidwelly, Llanelli, Llandeilo, Newcastle Emlyn, Llandovery, St Clears, and Whitland. The principal industries are agriculture, forestry, fishing and tourism. Although Llanelli is by far the largest town in the county, the county town remains Carmarthen, mainly due to its central location.

 

Carmarthenshire is predominantly an agricultural county, with only the southeastern area having any significant amount of industry. The best agricultural land is in the broad Tywi Valley, especially its lower reaches. With its fertile land and agricultural produce, Carmarthenshire is known as the "Garden of Wales". The lowest bridge over the river is at Carmarthen, and the Towi Estuary cuts the southwesterly part of the county, including Llansteffan and Laugharne, off from the more urban southeastern region. This area is also bypassed by the main communication routes into Pembrokeshire. A passenger ferry service used to connect Ferryside with Llansteffan until the early part of the twentieth century.

 

Agriculture and forestry are the main sources of income over most of the county of Carmarthenshire. On improved pastures, dairying is important and in the past, the presence of the railway enabled milk to be transported to the urban areas of England. The creamery at Whitland is now closed but milk processing still takes place at Newcastle Emlyn where mozzarella cheese is made. On upland pastures and marginal land, livestock rearing of cattle and sheep is the main agricultural activity. The estuaries of the Loughor and Towy provide pickings for the cockle industry.

 

Llanelli, Ammanford and the upper parts of the Gwendraeth Valley are situated on the South Wales Coalfield. The opencast mining activities in this region have now ceased but the old mining settlements with terraced housing remain, often centred on their nonconformist chapels. Kidwelly had a tin-plating industry in the eighteenth century, with Llanelli following not long after, so that by the end of the nineteenth century, Llanelli was the world-centre of the industry. There is little trace of these industrial activities today. Llanelli and Burry Port served at one time for the export of coal, but trade declined, as it did from the ports of Kidwelly and Carmarthen as their estuaries silted up. Country towns in the more agricultural part of the county still hold regular markets where livestock is traded.

 

In the north of the county, in and around the Teifi Valley, there was a thriving woollen industry in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Here water-power provided the energy to drive the looms and other machinery at the mills. The village of Dre-fach Felindre at one time contained twenty-four mills and was known as the "Huddersfield of Wales". The demand for woollen cloth declined in the twentieth century and so did the industry.

 

In 2014, West Wales was identified as the worst-performing region in the United Kingdom along with the South Wales Valleys. The gross value added economic indicator showed a figure of £14,763 per head in these regions, as compared with a GVA of £22,986 for Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. The Welsh Assembly Government is aware of this, and helped by government initiatives and local actions, opportunities for farmers to diversify have emerged. These include farm tourism, rural crafts, specialist food shops, farmers' markets and added-value food products.

 

Carmarthenshire County Council produced a fifteen-year plan that highlighted six projects which it hoped would create five thousand new jobs. The sectors involved would be in the "creative industries, tourism, agri-food, advanced manufacturing, energy and environment, and financial and professional services".

 

Carmarthenshire became an administrative county with a county council taking over functions from the Quarter Sessions under the Local Government Act 1888. Under the Local Government Act 1972, the administrative county of Carmarthenshire was abolished on 1 April 1974 and the area of Carmarthenshire became three districts within the new county of Dyfed : Carmarthen, Dinefwr and Llanelli. Under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, Dyfed was abolished on 1 April 1996 and Carmarthenshire was re-established as a county. The three districts united to form a unitary authority which had the same boundaries as the traditional county of Carmarthenshire. In 2003, the Clynderwen community council area was transferred to the administrative county of Pembrokeshire.

 

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, Carmarthen and Wrexham were the two most populous towns in Wales. In 1931, the county's population was 171,445 and in 1951, 164,800. At the census in 2011, Carmarthenshire had a population of 183,777. Population levels have thus dipped and then increased again over the course of eighty years. The population density in Carmarthenshire is 0.8 persons per hectare compared to 1.5 per hectare in Wales as a whole.

 

Carmarthenshire was the most populous of the five historic counties of Wales to remain majority Welsh-speaking throughout the 20th century. According to the 1911 Census, 84.9 per cent of the county's population were Welsh-speaking (compared with 43.5 per cent in all of Wales), with 20.5 per cent of Carmarthenshire's overall population being monolingual Welsh-speakers.

 

In 1931, 82.3 per cent could speak Welsh and in 1951, 75.2 per cent. By the 2001 census, 50.3 per cent of people living in Carmarthenshire could speak Welsh, with 39 per cent being able to read and write the language as well.

 

The 2011 census showed a further decline, with 43.9 per cent speaking Welsh, making it a minority language in the county for the first time. However, the 2011 census also showed that 3,000 more people could understand spoken Welsh than in 2001 and that 60% of 5-14-year-olds could speak Welsh (a 5% increase since 2001). A decade later, the 2021 census, showed further decrease, to 39.9% Welsh speakers -- the largest percentage drop in all of Wales.

 

With its strategic location and history, the county is rich in archaeological remains such as forts, earthworks and standing stones. Carn Goch is one of the most impressive Iron Age forts and stands on a hilltop near Llandeilo. The Bronze Age is represented by chambered cairns and standing stones on Mynydd Llangyndeyrn, near Llangyndeyrn. Castles that can be easily accessed include Carreg Cennen, Dinefwr, Kidwelly, Laugharne, Llansteffan and Newcastle Emlyn Castle. There are the ruinous remains of Talley Abbey, and the coastal village of Laugharne is for ever associated with Dylan Thomas. Stately homes in the county include Aberglasney House and Gardens, Golden Grove and Newton House.

 

There are plenty of opportunities in the county for hiking, observing wildlife and admiring the scenery. These include Brechfa Forest, the Pembrey Country Park, the Millennium Coastal Park at Llanelli, the WWT Llanelli Wetlands Centre and the Carmel National Nature Reserve. There are large stretches of golden sands and the Wales Coast Path now provides a continuous walking route around the whole of Wales.

 

The National Botanic Garden of Wales displays plants from Wales and from all around the world, and the Carmarthenshire County Museum, the National Wool Museum, the Parc Howard Museum, the Pendine Museum of Speed and the West Wales Museum of Childhood all provide opportunities to delve into the past. Dylan Thomas Boathouse where the author wrote many of his works can be visited, as can the Roman-worked Dolaucothi Gold Mines.

 

Activities available in the county include rambling, cycling, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, sailing, horse riding, caving, abseiling and coasteering.[7] Carmarthen Town A.F.C. plays in the Cymru Premier. They won the Welsh Football League Cup in the 1995–96 season, and since then have won the Welsh Cup once and the Welsh League Cup twice. Llanelli Town A.F.C. play in the Welsh Football League Division Two. The club won the Welsh premier league and Loosemores challenge cup in 2008 and won the Welsh Cup in 2011, but after experiencing financial difficulties, were wound up and reformed under the present title in 2013. Scarlets is the regional professional rugby union team that plays in the Pro14, they play their home matches at their ground, Parc y Scarlets. Honours include winning the 2003/04 and 2016/17 Pro12. Llanelli RFC is a semi-professional rugby union team that play in the Welsh Premier Division, also playing home matches at Parc y Scarlets. Among many honours, they have been WRU Challenge Cup winners on fourteen occasions and frequently taken part in the Heineken Cup. West Wales Raiders, based in Llanelli, represent the county in Rugby league.

 

Some sporting venues utilise disused industrial sites. Ffos Las racecourse was built on the site of an open cast coal mine after mining operations ceased. Opened in 2009, it was the first racecourse built in the United Kingdom for eighty years and has regular race-days. Machynys is a championship golf course opened in 2005 and built as part of the Llanelli Waterside regeneration plan. Pembrey Circuit is a motor racing circuit near Pembrey village, considered the home of Welsh motorsport, providing racing for cars, motorcycles, karts and trucks. It was opened in 1989 on a former airfield, is popular for testing and has hosted many events including the British Touring Car Championship twice. The 2018 Tour of Britain cycling race started at Pembrey on 2 September 2018.

 

Carmarthenshire is served by the main line railway service operated by Transport for Wales Rail which links London Paddington, Cardiff Central and Swansea to southwest Wales. The main hub is Carmarthen railway station where some services from the east terminate. The line continues westwards with several branches which serve Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven and Fishguard Harbour (for the ferry to Rosslare Europort and connecting trains to Dublin Connolly). The Heart of Wales Line takes a scenic route through mid-Wales and links Llanelli with Craven Arms, from where passengers can travel on the Welsh Marches Line to Shrewsbury.

 

Two heritage railways, the Gwili Railway and the Teifi Valley Railway, use the track of the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway that at one time ran from Carmarthen to Newcastle Emlyn, but did not reach Cardigan.

 

The A40, A48, A484 and A485 converge on Carmarthen. The M4 route that links South Wales with London, terminates at junction 49, the Pont Abraham services, to continue northwest as the dual carriageway A48, and to finish with its junction with the A40 in Carmarthen.

 

Llanelli is linked to M4 junction 48 by the A4138. The A40 links Carmarthen to Llandeilo, Llandovery and Brecon to the east, and with St Clears, Whitland and Haverfordwest to the west. The A484 links Llanelli with Carmarthen by a coastal route and continues northwards to Cardigan, and via the A486 and A487 to Aberystwyth, and the A485 links Carmarthen to Lampeter.

 

Bus services run between the main towns within the county and are operated by First Cymru under their "Western Welsh" or "Cymru Clipper" livery. Bus services from Carmarthenshire are also run to Cardiff. A bus service known as "fflecsi Bwcabus" (formerly just "Bwcabus") operates in the north of the county, offering customised transport to rural dwellers.

 

Carmarthenshire has rich, fertile farmland and a productive coast with estuaries providing a range of foods that motivate many home cooks and chefs.